There's Something About Seto Kaiba!
by Yuke
Summary: A new transer student has come to Domino High. A great Duelist she might be, but what will happen now that she has a crush on Seto Kaiba? *Chapter 32 up!*
1. The New Student

"So you're from...Japan?" The principle asked.  
The girl before him nodded. She brushed aside her shoulder-length black hair before speaking. "Yokoyama, to be exact."  
"Very well then, Miss Nayako." Principle Masaki rose from his desk. "Follow me."  
  
* * *   
  
"It's your move, Yugi!" Joey said.  
Yugi nodded and turned over a face-down card. "I play this magic card, The Swords of Revealing Light! So now all the Monsters on your side of the field are paralyzed for three turns."  
Joey groaned. "Dang. Ok, tough guy, I'll play this-"  
"Class!" The teacher's voice broke through all of the hustle and bustle. "We have a new student!"  
Yugi dropped his cards and turned to face the front. "Huh?"  
Joey grinned goofily and peek at the cards Yugi had put down. "Oh, I see, you were gonna sic your Dark Magician on me, weren't ya?!"  
Te'a giggled at Joey's antics. "Joey! That's cheating!"  
Tristan slapped his friend's shoulder playfully. "Don't worry, Te'a, even if he cheats, Joey still has no way of beating Yugi anyhow!"  
"Aw, come on-"  
"Quiet down, class!" the teacher, Mrs. Takahashi cried.  
At her second bidding, the students finally turned to face her. Mrs. Takahashi sighed. "Now, I want you to please welcome out new student. Her name is Kyara Nayako."  
The new girl smiled weakly as the teacher pushed her to the center of the room. Kyara gulped. She didn't like being the center of attention. "H-Hello." she said. "Its nice to meet you."  
From where he sat in the back, Seto Kaiba watched blankly as Kyara shuffled nervously. The sound of a chair scraping against the ground broke the silence. "Hey!" Joey yelled. "I recognize her! Kyara placed third at the intercontinental championships last year!"  
At this, Kyara blushed and bowed her head, causing her sleek ebony hair to cover her face like a veil. Mrs. Takahashi cleared her throat. "Well, then. Kyara, take the seat beside Yugi. Yugi, raise your hand so that she sees her seat."  
Yugi raised his hand. As Kyara strode down the row, she saw Joey wave at her. "Can I have your autograph?!" he mouthed.  
After being seated, the new girl took a look around her new classroom. Yugi sure seems nice. She thought. That other boy is kinda weird though. Her eyes then rested on Seto Kaiba and she drew in a sharp breath. "Kaiba..." she murmured under her breath. "He's the best in the country."  
Suddenly her cheeks gre hot as a new thought occured to her. She never knew how cute he could be up close. 


	2. New Friends

Hey people! I'm glad you like my story. But before I continue, I just wanted to confirm that this is NOT a YGO parody of There's Something About Mary. Thanks!  
  
At recess, Kyara wandered the grounds aimlessly. Her face wistful, she sighed and watched as the other students stood in clusters around the schoolyard, talking and having fun. After she tired of walking, Kyara seated herself down in a bench by the school. This is so boring. Kyara thought. I wish I was back home...  
"Hey!" a voice cried. "That doesn't look like fun, sitting there all by yourself!"  
Kyara looked up. It was that Yugi kid. "Wha?" she mumbled.  
Yugi smiled at her. "My friends and I are playing Duel Monsters, you wanna join us?"  
She returned Yugi's grin. "Sure!"  
  
* * *  
  
"Dang it! WWhy does Te'a beat me EVERY time?!"  
Tristan and Yugi giggled. "Man," Tristan commented. "You REALLY stink at this game!"  
Kyara smiled at their activities. They seem really nice. She thought. Then her eyes caught the movement of soemone by the trees. She turned to face it directly. It was Seto Kaiba. Reading under a tree. She felt her face growing hot again.  
"Hey, Kyara!" Joey cried.  
"Huh?" She turned to her four new friends. "Yes?"  
Joey smirked. "How about an autograph?"  
Kyara placed a hand on her chest. "From me? Well...."  
The blond-haired boy clapped his hands together. "Please?"  
A mischievious smile formed on her lips. She reached into her pocket and drew forth a deck of cards. "Only if..." she slammed the deck down onto the wooden table. "You beat me in a duel!"  
Joey looked up. "A duel? You got it!"  
Te'a looked skeptical. "Are you sure about this, Joey? You said so yourself; she placed third at the intercontinentals."  
"Oh! Is it true that some say you're almost as good as Seto Kaiba?" Tristan inquired.  
I falterd at Kaiba's name. "W-Well...I-I..."  
Yugi shook his head. "Guys! C'mon, let's just let them duel." 


	3. Kyara vs Joey

"All right...all shuffled."  
Kyara drew five cards from the top of her deck. "Ready when you are."  
Joey smirked and stared down at his hand. "Guess I'll go first. I'll play Rock Ogre in defense mode."  
His opponent picked up two cards. "First, I play this Magic card face-down. Then, I play Winged Elf face-up in attack mode!" Kyara tapped Joey's defense Mosnter. "And I eliminate your Ogre."  
Joey grimaced. "Ok then....The Flame Swordsman. I attack your puny Elf with it's Flaming Sword of Battle!"  
Kyara shrugged as she discarded her Monster into the Graveyard. Her life points were down to 1800. "No matter. I'll play another Magic card face-down. Then, I send my Zombie Army, with an attack stength of 2300 to obliterate your Swordsman."  
Now Joey's LP was down to 1700. He sighed. Now what? He had no card in his hand that could get rid of the Zombie Army. Unless....  
Reaching over, Joey drew a card. He grinned broadly when he saw it. "All right! Go, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"  
Kyara's shock at such a rare card was soon forgotten as she caught sight of someone walking slowly towards them. She turned away from the cards. It was Kaiba. She blushed. Great. He probably wanted to see their duel. "Well," Kaiba remarked when he reached the table. "What have we here? Joey Wheeler against Kyara?"  
Yugi nodded. "Did you want to watch, Kaiba?"  
The Duel Monsters Champion shrugged lightly, causing his mahogany-colored hair to wave about. "Why not? I've got nothing better to do anyhow."  
Kyara smiled as Kaiba took the vacant seat beside her, but said nothing. Kaiba nodded in acknowledgement. "Now," she said. "Where were we? Oh, that's right. Since you've just played your Red-Eyes, I believe now would be a good time to activate my Magic card, Red Riot!"  
Yugi gasped. "Red Riot?!"  
Kyara laughed. "That's right. Red Riot is a Magic card that disorients all of my opponent's Monster for two turns. Meaning, if he tries to attack me with those affected Monsters, there's a fifty percent chance that his Monsters will destroy one of his own."  
Joey snorted. "I guess that would be a problem....But the Red-Eyes is the only Monster I have out right now!"  
His opponent waved a taunting finger. "True. But, now I'll activate my second card. It's called MindShield. This card allows me to take control of your Red-Eyes for the rest of the duel!"  
Joey slammed a fist down onto the table. "Damnit!"  
From behind Kyara, Kaiba chuckled dryly. "Nicely played." he said.  
"Thanks." Kyara winked at him before returning to the duel.  
Joey groaned and threw down his hand. "The Red-Eyes Black Dragon was my best Monster. I surrender."  
Kyara's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Surrender? But Joey-Oh, all right."  
Her defeated opponent grinned weakly. "Good match. I guess I don't get that autograph, huh?"  
Kyara shook her head as she reached into her pocket. "On the contrary, Joey." She quickly scribbled onto one of her Duel Monster cards. "Here."  
Joey turned the card over. "Wha? You're giving me one of your cards?"  
She nodded. "Its called Bad Luck Fortune Telling. This Magic card has the ability to deduct 700 points from an opponent's life points. Plus, you get to look at one of the cards in your opponent's hand."   
"Thanks!" Joey slid the card in with his own.  
Kyara leaned back but then stiffened when she realized that Seto Kaiba was behind her. "Sorry." she quickly said.  
But Kaiba didn't seem fazed. With a smile, he said, "You're very good, perhaps I may want to duel with you someday." 


	4. Partners?

Back in the classroom, Mrs. Takahashi adressed the students as soon as they had calmed down. "I think its about time for us to start something new." she stared at her charges for a moment before continuing. "Why don't we have a science contest?"  
As the class began to murmur among themselves, Mrs. Takahashi nodded with satisfaction. "Yes. That's what we'll do. Now then, each of you shall work in pairs to create an invention of some sort."  
As soon as their teacher finished talking, everyone was up and soon, practically everyone had found a partner for the new assignment.  
Kyara groaned when she looked about the room; Yugi had paired with Te'a for the project, and Joey with Tristan. Now what? Mrs. Takahashi cleared her throat. "If you do not have a partner, please raise your hand."  
Two hands raised.  
The teacher nodded. "All right then. Kyara, Seto, I guess you two shall have to work together on this."  
Shyly, Kyara glanced over at Kaiba, who didn't seemed disturbed about the current events.  
Joey leaned over onto Yugi's desk. "Y'know," he whispered. "Do you think she'll be able to work with him? You've seen how anti-social he is sometimes..."  
Yugi nodded in agreement. "I know what ya mean." he glanced over at Kyara, whose gaze was still fixed on Kaiba. "But I have a feeling that things are gonna change...."  
Joey blinked in confusion. "Whatever you say..."  
  
* * *  
  
"So, um Seto, do you have any ideas for this new project?" Kyara asked as she strode beside him after school.  
The blue-clad CEO of KaibaCorp shrugged and continued walking. "I'm sure I could throw something together."  
Kyara shook her head, causing her sleek back hair to swish around her cheeks. "No way!"  
Kaiba stopped in his tracks. "And why not?"  
"Because! I wouldn't feel right if I just let you do all the work." She smiled at him.  
"Fine, have it your way." Seto's face remained blank.  
Kyara sighed. "So....when do we start?"  
Her new partner shrugged. "I'll think of something."  
" 'I'? You mean 'we', Kaiba"  
Seto stared at her for a moment, as if scrutinizing her. "Just don't get in my way." he finally said. 


	5. Stotic, Yes

Kyara sighed. Seto Kaiba sure was stotic at times! "Um.." she bit her lip. "When do you wanna start working on the project?"  
Kaiba shrugged again. It was as if the whole affair was of little matter to him. He stared at Kyara's face for a long moment. The other blushed. It was kinda weird, having him stare at her like this. Finally, Kaiba gave a short, dismissive sigh. "Tomorrow's Saturday. We can go over to my house and work on the project there."  
"Really?"  
Seto nodded. "You sure you don't want me to throw something together?"  
Kyara frowned slightly. She swore she detected a hint of a laugh in his tone. "Seto Kaiba," she said firmly. "Are trying to tell me something?"  
At this, Kaiba gave a small, rare laugh. "No. See you later."  
  
* * *  
  
"Y'know, I could have driven to your house, Seto, you didn't need to pick me up." Kyara commented as she got into his car early the next morning.  
Kaiba snorted. "Please, I want to get this silly project over with as soon as possible, Kyara. I have better things to do."  
Kyara sagged in her seat, stung by his choice of words. Kaiba glanced over at his passenger. They rode for a few minutes in silence.  
"I'm sorry." Kaiba finally blurted. "I didn't-"  
"No, it's okay. I mean, you ARE the CEO of a-"  
"Yea, I know." Kaiba rolled his eyes. "I get reminded of that every day."  
Kyara stifled a giggle at Seto's sarcasm. Stotic, yes. But not all the time. 


	6. Perhaps This Partnership Will Work

"Sooo, any ideas for this 'invention' we're supposed to make?" Kyara asked as the two of them entered Seto Kaiba's spacious mansion.  
Kaiba shrugged. "I-I mean, WE'LL think of something."  
"Seto! You're back!" a new voice cried.  
Kyara whirled around just in time to see a black-haired youth dash into the hall. "Good morning." Seto said as his brother hugged him.  
Mokuba stared at the newcomer beside his older brother. "Who's she?" he inquired.  
Seto cleared his throat. "Mokuba, this is Kyara Nayako." he turned to his science partner. "Kyara, meet my little brother, Mokuba."  
Kyara shook Mokuba's hand. "Nice to meet you! Oh my god, your little brother is so adorable, Seto!"  
Kaiba coughed lightly. "I think we should get going now, Kyara."  
As the two walked away, Mokuba waved after them. "See ya later, Kyara!"  
The other turned and shouted back, "You can call me Kya, Mokuba!"  
"You mean Kai?"  
"Yea, that's how you pronounce it!"  
Kaiba rolled his eyes.  
With a final giggle, Kyara turned back to Seto. "I wish I had a little brother like him."  
  
* * *  
  
The morning wore on. Kyara found herself seated in Kaiba's workroom, watching as her partner showed her the blueprints to something. "How about this?" he asked.  
She shook her head. "That wouldn't work."  
Kaiba gave in exasperated groan and collapsed into the seat next to Kyara. "Then, I'm out of ideas."  
Kyara sighed and reached absently into her pocket. She drew out her Duel Monster cards. Kaiba squinted at them. "I don't think this would be a good time to play games, Kyara."  
She shrugged. "I'm not playing. I bought this Chinese Duel Monster booster pack the other day, and I've been trying to translate it for the longest time."  
Kaiba straightened. "Wait a minute..."  
Kyara caught on. "Oh! How about a Duel Monster card translator?"  
Her partner hurried to the table and began scribbling furiously with his pencil. "More than just a translator." More writing. "This invention could be something that could produce 3-D images of any card, no matter what language its in, into English or whatever language you want it in. Also, it could-"  
"Show it's attack and defense AND any magic effects it has?"  
Kaiba grinned at her. "Great! Now, that would work for Monster cards, but for Magic or Trap cards..."  
"We could have it show a 3-D demonstration of what the card does, along with its name!"  
Seto looked up in surprise at her. Perhaps this project wasn't going to be as boring as he thought it would be. 


	7. A Date? No Way!

Author's Notes: Before I continue, thank you to everyone who submitted a review. I'm sorry if my chapters are a bit short, I'm not that good at writing LONG chapters.  
  
  
  
"Well, that looks like enough work for one day." Kaiba remarked as he screwed in one final bolt into their half-done creation.  
Kyara nodded. "Looks promising.  
"Hmm..." Kaiba scrutinized the finshed parts. "But where can the cards go?"  
Kyara tapped a part under the contraption with a finger. "We could create a slot under the hologrpahic generatoris where we could insert a card."  
Kaiba nodded with satisfaction. "That would be good."  
His partner glanced up at the wall clock. "2 o-clock. I gotta go."  
"All right then." Seto said as he continued squinting at their invention's parts.  
Kyara sighed and stared at the back of his head. "Hey, uh...Seto?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Uh...I heard there's a new coffee shop in town."  
Kaiba put down the card translator and swiveled around in his seat to face her. "What about it?"  
Kyara bit her lip. "The owner is a friend of mine. You uh...wanna come with me?"  
Seto's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Are you asking me out on a date, Kyara?"  
"N-No! I just thought that after all the work we did today, you might wanna take a break, that's all."  
For a moment, Seto toyed with the screwdriver he held in his hand. "Fine." he said as he got up.  
As they strode back into the front hallway, Mokuba caught up with them. "Hi Seto, Kya!"  
"Hey Mokuba." She grinned at the mention of her nickname.  
Striding over to a table, Kaiba retrieved his car keys. "Going   
somewhere?" Mokuba asked.  
His older brother nodded. "We're going for coffee, wanna come?"  
Mokuba stuck out a tongue in distaste. "I don't drink coffee, Seto." he replied.  
Kyara ruffled the little boy's hair fondly. "That's all right, I'll bring you back a soda or something, okay?"  
The diminuitive youth nodded in approval. "Sure!"  
"I wish I had a little brother." Kyara said wistfully as the two of them got back into Seto's car.  
"You said that already." Seto replied as he started up the ignition.  
"I know, I know. But I'm an only child."  
"By the way, what's the name of the coffee shop?"  
"Heero's Books and Beverages." Kyara answered.  
Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Books AND beverages?"  
Kyara laughed at Kaiba's question. "The owner, Heero Midorikawa, is an old friend of my father's. But, Heero has two passions in life: Books and a good cup of coffee. So he decided to open a shop that sells both. He also tends to be a bit eccentric."  
"Interesting."  
  
  
* * *  
  
"That's one mocha latte for the young man, and a decaf for Kya here."  
Kyara grinned as she took her order form the tray Heero held out to them. "Thanks, Heero."  
"No problem, give your dad my regards, Kyara."  
"Nice guy." Kaiba remarked as Heero left and he began sipping at his beverage.  
"Yea."  
For what seemed like an eternity, the two sipped absently at their repsective drinks, not one word being said. Finally, Seto spoke. "So why did you and your family move here?"  
Kyara nearly dropped her coffee, so shocked she was at Kaiba asking her a personal question. "Oh-My dad's a financial advisor, he goes wherever the company wants him to go."  
"I see."  
"What about you? What are your parents like?"  
"I don't wanna talk about my parents." Kaiba said tonelessly.  
Kyara rang a finger along the rim of her now empty cup. "Sorry." She grinned cheekily at him in an attempt to cheer him up.  
Seto's heart stirred in a way that he didn't like. Or perhaps, was it in a way that he didn't understand? He abruptly changed the subject. "So what's your favorite Duel Mosnter card?"  
"Me? Well, I really like the Magician of Faith."  
"But it's attack and defense is pathetic."  
"True, but I still like it."  
"Any other cards?"  
Kyara leaned back in her seat. "Well...oh! The Elemental Sorcerer cards!"  
Kaiba leaned forward with interest. "Do you own them? All four cards?"  
"Yep! The Mage of Winds, the Mage of FIre, the Mage of Water, and the Mage of Earth. When summoned together-"  
"The become one supreme Monster: The Elemental Sorcerer. With an attack of 3500 and defense of 2500."  
"You know your Monsters."  
"I know my cards." 


	8. Only Time Will Tell

A/N: Thanks again for all your reviews, ppl. But here's some answers to your questions:  
Yes, the Magician of Faith is Te'a's fav card, but it's Kyara's fav too. Oh, and the Elemental Sorcerer is something forged from my imagination. You'll never find those cards. (Unless Kazuki Takahashi makes one...)  
And, as for Heero Midorikawa? Yes, taken off Gundam Wing. ^-^ Midorikawa is the last name of the voice actor who did Heero's voice in the Japanese version. (Hikaru Midorikawa). ^^  
  
  
  
"You want a refill, Kya-san?" Heero asked as he came around with the pot of coffee.  
Kyara absently brushed a few strands of her hair back in place. "No thanks."  
"How about you, Mr. Kaiba?"  
He shook his head. "I fine."  
After paying the bill, Kyara got up from her seat. "I gotta go." she remarked as she glanced down at her watch. "I have to run an errand for my parents."  
Kaiba nodded and stood up also. "I should be getting down to Kaiba Corporation."  
The two strode out to the street. "See you later then." Kyara said. "When should we continue on the project?"  
Seto shrugged. "Perhaps tomorrow."  
"Sorry, I'm busy on Sunday."  
"What are you doing tomorrow?"  
"Oh, I'm going shopping with Te'a."  
At her response, Seto stared at her quizically. "Shopping, huh?"  
"What? Something wrong with shopping?"  
"Girls seem to do that a lot, don't they?" Kaiba responded sarcastically.  
"Hey! Now you're stereotyping!"  
Seto Kaiba grinned broadly. "Please. I never stereotype. I patronize."  
Kyara rolled her eyes. "Right. Well, don't patronize ME." She grinned.  
Kaiba turned away. "Well, see you later then, Kyara."  
  
* * *  
  
-Sunday-  
  
"So, Kyara, what's it like being the great Seto Kaiba's partner?"  
Kyara giggled and continued walking alongside Te'a. "We're making a Card Translator."  
"Ooo, sounds complicated." Te'a replied.  
"What are you and Yugi making?"  
Te'a smirked. "Seriously? Yugi and I have no idea! But you wanna know what Tristan and Joey are making?!"  
"What?"  
"A remote-controlled pizza cutter!"  
"A what?! You gotta be joking!"  
Te'a shook her head as if despairingly. "Joking? About those two goofballs? Never."  
Kyara stopped in front of a toy shop. "Hey! I wonder if they sell Duel Monster cards?"  
"Why? You wanna buy some?"  
"Yea! I think they just got a new shipment of the Curse of Anubis booster packs."  
"Great, I've been getting sick of seeing nothing but those Metal Raider boosters."  
Later, after the two had made their purchases, they met at the food court. Te'a scanned the row of restaurants. "What do you wanna eat? Pizza? Greek? or..." Te'a squinted into the distance. "I see golden arches! You want Mac Donalds?"  
"I'm not that hungry yet." Kyara said as she seated herself down on an empty chair.  
Te'a joined her. "What cards did you get?"  
"Let's see...Eye of Truth, Call of the Haunted, Glass Armor, White-Robed Angel, and DNA Modify Operation." (A/N: Yes, these are real cards. I've actually bought the booster pack.)  
A mischievious glint suddenly came of Te'a eyes. "So Kyara, is there anything between you and Kaiba?"  
Kyara nearly dropped her cards. "What?!"  
"Oh, come ON! I saw the way your were blushing when you and him were assigned as partners."  
"Ah, very observant of you, Te'a."  
"Thanks! So do you like him or something?"  
"Okay, okay, I admit! He may be a bit harsh sometimes, but he actually is very kind. And just SO kawaii!"  
Te'a giggled. "You've got it bad."  
Kyara sighed. "Maybe. But what if he doesn't feel the same? What if he just wants to be friends?"  
"Only time will tell, Kya." 


	9. Rainy Days

"I guess you're right, Te'a." Kyara finally sighed.  
Te'a pointed over to a nearby concession stand. "C'mon, I don't know about you, but I'm in the mood for a good strawberry smoothie!"  
With a grin, Kyara followed Te'a to get a cup. After recieving their orders, they sat back down. But before one sip could be taken, Kyara's cell phone rang, a high ringing sound. Nodding apologetically to her companion, Kyara withdrew it from her pocket. "Hello?" she listened for a moment. "Oh! Hi, Yugi!"  
"Yugi?" Te'a cried. "What's he calling for?"  
"Let me find out." Kyara said. "Oh, he says he's got an idea for the science project. And..." She pressed the phone to her ear. "Can you come over to start on it?"  
Te'a bit her lip. "Well..."  
Kyara nodded in understanding. "Don't worry about me. Besides, education comes first before pleasure!"  
"Since you put it that way, I'll see you on Monday then, okay?"  
"Yea."  
  
* * *  
  
Kyara strode through the city streets, alone. She sighed as she glanced at her watch. It was only six-o-clock. She strode on down the sidewalk and past Kaiba Coporation. "Hey! Kyara!" a voice cried.  
She recognized the voice even before she turned around. Seto.  
"Hey, Seto."  
The KaibaCorp CEO stood by his car, a suitcase in hand. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "I thought you were with Te'a?"  
"Was. Yugi called and she had to go."  
"Oh, I see." Kaiba stared at her thoughtfully. "Need a ride?"  
She smiled and shook her head. "No thank you. I can walk."  
Kaiba pointed to the darkened sky. "You sure? I heard it was gonna rain soon."  
As if on cue, a sudden shower of water descended from the heavens. Kyara sighed. "All right." she strode over to his side.  
She got into the car.  
"So what have you been doing?" Kyara asked as they drove off.  
Kaiba gave an exasperated groan. "Running a big company bearing my last name, you?"  
Stifling a giggle, Kyara said, "Things probably ten times not as difficult."  
A smile threatened to form on Seto's lips. "Really? And what would those 'not as difficult' things be?"  
"Oh, shopping, buying cards, drinking smoothies...."  
"Speaking of cards," Kaiba's tone turned business-like. "What about that Card Translator we're making?"  
Kyara watched the rain as it pattered and ran down the closed windows. "What about it?"  
"When shall we test it?"  
"When it's done, silly!"  
Kaiba laughed a rare laugh. "Quite true."  
Kyara stared demourly out the window. She sighed. "I love the rain."  
Caught unawares by the change of subject, Kaiba answered a few seconds late. "The rain?"  
She tapped a finger against the window. "It calms me for some reason."  
"Hmm..."  
Kaiba's passenger swivelled around to face him. "So what if I see the sunshine in the pouring rain?"  
"No, it's just that, when I was a kid, I used to watch the rain too."  
Kyara blushed. 


	10. Always The Lucky Breaks

"Thanks for the ride, Seto." Kyara said when they pulled up in front of her house.  
Kaiba nodded and drove off. With a sigh, Kyara walked slowly into her house. She sighed as she arrived in her room. Plunking herself down onto the bed, she stared out the window. The rain had stopped.  
  
* * *  
  
"So Joey, how's that remote-controlled pizza cutter of yours coming along?" Kyara inquired as she strode into the classroom early the next morning.  
With a grimace, Joey explained. "Terrible! The blasted thing nearly KILLED me yesterday night when Tristan and I were testing it out!"  
Kyara stifled a giggle. "Can't wait to see it when this project's due."  
Behind him, Tristan moaned weakly. "It sounded like such a good idea when we started, now I'm not so sure."  
The classroom door opened and this time Yugi entered. "Good morning!" he chirruped.  
With a sigh, Kyara seated herself. "So how's your project coming along, Yugi?"  
The black, yellow, and maroon (?)-haired boy shrugged. "We still haven't been albe to come up with anything!"  
"Well, you still got a week and a half left, you'll think of something."  
"I sure hope so."  
Joey straigtened in his seat. "What about you, Kyara? What are you and the great Seto Kaiba doing?"  
"As a matter of fact, we're making a Duel Monster Card Translator."  
At her response, Joey slammed his head back onto the desk. "Ugh! I shoulda picked Kaiba for a partner! Then I probably could've just sat back and watched him do all the work."  
"Not exactly, Joey." Kyara tapped her fingernails absentmindedly against her books. "He's not doing all the work."  
  
* * *  
  
After school, Kyara strode out of the school, Te'a, Joey, Tristan, and Yugi by her side. Te'a groaned. "It's not fair! Why does Takahashi have to give us some much homework?!?!"  
Beside her, Yugi stifled a giggle. "It's not THAt bad, Te'a."  
The sound of footsteps was heard behind the trio. Seto Kaiba appeared at Kyara's left. "You coming over to work on that project?" he asked.  
She nodded and waved goodbye to her friends as she followed him to his car. Joey crossed his arms and nodded his head. "That girl gets all the lucky breaks. We NORMAL people have to take the bus."  
Te'a shook her head in exasperation. "Joey, Joey..."  
"What?" 


	11. Not So Sure

"Kyara! Welcome back!" Mokuba cried as she and Seto stepped through the front door.  
She winked at the little boy. "Miss me?"  
"Not as much as Seto here!" Mokuba replied.  
Behind Mokuba's older brother, Kyara tittered. "Oh, really?"  
Kaiba coughed and shook his head. "I think we should be getting back to work. See ya later, Mokuba."  
"I'm sorry about my brother." Seto said apologetically as the two of them headed down the hall.  
Kyara gave an appreciative laugh. "I don't mind, I think he's adorable."  
  
* * *  
  
With a sigh, Kyara blew a strand of her hair out of her face. "Hand me that screwdriver, Seto."  
Kaiba obliged and passed the tool across the table. Her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration, Kyara screwed together the last few pieces. "There!" she sighed again. "Its done."  
Her partner leaned across the table to glance at their finished piece. "Shall we test it out?"  
"Yea. Reach into my bag and grab my dueling deck, will ya?"  
"Here."  
After snatching a card from the pile, Kyara stuck it into the Card Translator's slot. "This card's in chinese, let's see if it'll work." They waited.  
After an agonizing moment, a slightly fuzzy image of a pale, green-haired fairy with runic tatooes on her face appeared above the miniscule holographic generators.   
"Gyakutenno Megami." the Translator's nasal-sounding voice reported. "Level: Six. Type: Fairy. Element: Light." it paused, and the 3-D image slowly rotated in a clockwise circle. "This fairy uses her mystical power to protect the weak and provide spiritual report. Attack: 1800. Defense: 2000."  
  
(A/N: Yes, Gyakutenno Megami is a real card. If you want it, you can find it in Kaiba's Starter Deck.)  
  
Kyara nodded in satisfaction. "Works for me." she then frowned. "Still, It looks too 'home made' for me, you can still see all the inner parts such as the wires and such."  
"I can solve that problem." Kaiba rose from his seat and retrieved something from a nearby shelf. "Here."  
Kyara took the silver colored objects Kaiba handed her. "Ah, I see! Metal casings! Very clever."  
"Yea." Seto began fitting the casings on as he spoke. "I put a double K insignia onto the front."  
"Why?"  
He threw her a slightly exasperated look. "Why else? The first 'K' stands for Kaiba. The second-"  
"'Kyara'?"  
Seto grinned. "You got it."  
"Lovely."  
"There." Kaiba gently set the Translator back onto the table. "Finished."  
"A week early too!"  
For a minute, the two stood side-by-side, as if unsure of what to do next. Kyara looked at her watch. "Oh, it's 7-o-clock. I gotta go."  
Kaiba nodded and followed her out of the workroom. "I'll see you tomorrow then?" he asked.  
Kyara stopped and stared at him. Something about his tone startled her. She tried to scan his eyes for clues, but they were unreadable. She nodded and opened the front door. "Yeah."  
The sound of rapid footsteps was heard. "See ya later, Kyara!" Mokuba's familiar voice cried.  
She waved back at the cheerful youth.  
Later Mokuba. Kyara thought. As for that brother of yours, I'm not so sure...  
Behind her, Kaiba shut the door behind her and heaved a great sigh. He felt so tired now. But after a good night's sleep, he would be ready to take on the world as usual. Little did he know, though, Kyara was the cause for his sleepnessness at night. 


	12. Presentation Disasters and Confessions

"...And next up, Seto and Kyara."  
Heeding Mrs. Takahashi's order, the two partners brought their project to the front of the classroom. From her desk, the teacher nodded at them. "Now then, what did you two create?"  
Kaiba set the Card Translator onto the presentation table while Kyara explained. "Seto and I call this the Duel Monsters Card Translator."  
At her words, the class began to buzz with conversation. Kyara waited until the murmurings ceased. "A Card Translator?" Mrs. Takahashi looked skeptical.  
"I'll explain." Kyara reached into her pocket and drew out a single card. "See this? It's a Duel Monster card. The only problem is, it's written in german. I'm sure many others have faced this problem too. You buy a card and have no use for it because you can't read it! But we've created something that'll help with that."  
Kyara inserted the card into the Translator. After a second, a 3-D image of an ancient spectacled man appeared above the holo-generators. "The Stern Mystic." it reported. "Level: 4. Element: Light. Type: Spellcaster / Effect." a pause. "FLIP: (A/N: Meaning in the game when the card is flipped from face-down to face-up.) All face-down cards on the field are turned face-up, and then returned to their original positions. No card effects are activated when the cards are turned face-up. Attack: 1500. Defense: 1200."  
  
(A/N: Again, the Stern Mystic is also a real card. This one can be found in Yugi's Starter Deck.)  
  
A round of applause sounded from the audience. "Hey! Where can I get me one of those!?" Joey shouted from his seat.  
Kaiba smirked. "Sorry, they're not in stores yet. Or at least not until its patented."  
As the talking grew louder, Mrs. Takahashi rose from her desk. "All right then. Next, Joey and Tristan."  
There was a scraping of chairs against the floor. Slowly, the two ambled to the front. Proudly, Joey set down their invention onto the table. "Ladies and gents! I present to you, Joey and Tristan's remote-controlled pizza-cutter!"  
Murmurs of confusion followed his bold announcement. "How about a demonstration?" Someone shouted.  
"Sure!" Joey motioned to his partner.  
From his pocket, Tristan drew out a black box bearing four red buttons. Most likely cardinal directions. Prancing back to his desk for a moment, Joey retrieved a large cardboard box. Upon opening it, he revealed it's contents: A large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese. After setting the pizza-cutter onto the pizza, Joey faced the class again. He grinned cheekily. "Observe, and prepare to be amazed! Start her up, Tristan!"  
"Right." Tristan pressed a button on the remote. At once, their pizza cutter emitted a strange humming noise. But instead of moving, it vibrated back and forth. Joey bit his lip. "Uh oh."  
All at once, a thick stream of black smoke erupted from the back of the cutter, fogging up the room. "Enough, enough!" Mrs. Takahashi grabbed the offending article and carried it out into the hall.  
Back in the classroom, Joey slapped himself on the forehead. "Dang." he turned to Tristan. "So much for that C we were hoping for, huh?"  
"You can say that again."  
In the back row, Te'a and Kyara laughed heartily at the turnout. "I think they deserve an A!" Kyara giggled.  
"No way! At least an A+!" Te'a countered.  
Across the aisle, Kaiba shook his head. "What idiocy."  
Five minutes later, their teacher returned, looking slightly distressed. "Okay....now that THAT'S over with...Yugi, Te'a, you're next."  
Yugi hopped up. "Sure!" he held up a box. "Its a remote-controlled-"  
"Wait." Takahashi's eyes glared at the object Yugi held. "Remote-controlled you say?"  
"Yes m'am."  
She shot Yugi a I've-had-my-fill-of-remote-controlled-crap-today-thank-you-very-much look. "Forget it. I'll give you two an A, if you don't present it."  
Te'a grinned. "Okay!"  
  
* * *  
  
"Y'know, I think that went pretty well, don't you?" Kyara said as they strode down the hallway.  
Te'a nodded. "Yep! Didja see the way Takahashi was freakin out when Yugi told her our invention was remote-controlled?"  
"I wonder why...." Kyara mused.  
"Okay, okay," Joey groaned. "So we messed up. I don't get it though! It worked so well when we tested it out!"  
Tristan suddenly gasped. "I think I know why it messed up!"  
Joey advanced on his partner. "Really? Why?"  
"What kinda pizza did you use?"  
Joey thought for a moment. "Pepperoni. Extra cheese."  
"You numbskull! How could you use EXTRA CHEESE?"  
"Waddaya mean?"  
"For God's sakes, it didn't work because it was probably jammed up by all that cheese."  
"Oh." Joey grinned nervously. "My bad."  
  
* * *  
  
"Well, we got an A, Seto!"  
Kaiba nodded but said nothing and walked ahead of Kyara as they headed across the school's grounds. Kyara stared at the back of Seto's head and blushed. She took a deep breath. "Um Seto?" she said.  
He stopped and turned to face her. "What?"  
She cowered under his stare. Well, now was probably the best time. "I have a confession to make."  
"Something wrong?" he asked.  
She bowed her head. "I um..." she trailed off.  
Seto noted her sudden shyness and nodded. "Let me guess." his voice came sharply. "You like me, don't you?"  
Kyara nodded. "Yea...and-"  
"No."  
She raised her head in surprise. "Wha?-"  
He glared at her. "Believe me, I don't need that kind of relationship."  
Kyara stared almost unbelievingly at Seto. Her eyes stung and tears threatened to form. Wordless, Seto Kaiba stalked away, leaving behind someone's heart whom he had just broken. 


	13. I'm Not In Love

A/N: I've always wanted to try integrating song lyrics into a chapter. This is "I'm Not In Love" by BBMAK.  
  
*Don't think that you got me girl  
Don't think you can tame me and change me  
Don't think that it's all because of you*  
  
  
Kaiba stormed off across the grounds, his thoughts now a muddled mess. I can't believe this. he thought. She...  
He shook his head furiously, causing his mahogany-colored hair to wave all about. He couldn't think straight. With a sigh, he got into his car. But didn't drive off. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Kyara's retreating back faded off into the distance.   
  
  
*Just because I don't run around  
Just because we're forever together  
Don't you think of a four letter word to use*  
  
  
For a moment, Kaiba felt a pang of guilt mixed with regret nag at his heart. He shook it off. Absently, he slowly slid the key into the ignition. Had he done the right thing? He sighed and tried to ignore the sinking feeling he had in his chest.  
  
  
*So what if I just don't want anybody else but you  
So what if you're all that I ever really wanna do  
I know what you're thinking   
But that doesn't make it true  
Believe me baby*  
  
  
He started the car. The road, people, and buildings passed him in a blur as he drove on. Had he done the right thing? He grimaced as the question seemed to repeat itself over and over within his mind. Kyara...  
  
  
*I'm not in love no not at all  
what makes you think you made me fall  
I slip but no I'm not in love  
  
What if I just can't sleep at night?  
I see your face in the starry skies  
so high above, but girl i'm not in love*   
  
  
After what seemed an eternity, he finally arrived back home. For a reason beyond him, he half-expected to see Kyara sitting next to him, cheerful as always and ready to work on their project. But the project was done. And so was probably any chance of seeing her again.  
  
  
*Don't think that you got it made  
Don't think it's so easy to keep me  
Never know it could all just fade away  
So what if i just don't want anybody else but you  
So what if you're all that i ever really wanna do  
I know what you're thinking   
But that doesn't make it true  
  
Believe me baby*  
  
  
"Hi Seto!" Mokuba cried as he stepped through the front door.  
Wordless, Kaiba nodded in acknowledgement. Mokuba peeked over his brother's shoulder. "Where's Kyara? Isn't she with you?"  
Kaiba winced at Mokuba's imploring eyes. "N-No. She's not coming over today..."  
"Oh." His face fell. "She promised to duel me today."  
Slowly, Kaiba made his way up the stairs.  
  
*I'm not in love no not at all  
what makes you think you made me fall  
I slip but no I'm not in love  
  
What if I just can't sleep at night?  
I see your face in the starry skies  
so high above, but girl i'm not in love*   
  
  
"Seto?"  
"Yes, Mokuba?" he stopped mid-step to face his sibling.  
"You know Kyara loved you, right?" he said quietly.  
Kaiba bit his lip. What could he say? How could he tell him that he had broken her heart? I think your brother's adorable. Kyara's voice echoed in his memory.  
  
  
*So if my heart just skips a beat  
what if i lose a little sleep...*  
  
  
Kaiba now lay on his bed, his mind still in turmoil. What to do...  
He closed his eyes, but all he saw was the way Kyara's face had fell when he broke her heart...  
He fell back against the pillows. "No." he said to himself firmly. "I'm not in love." 


	14. Ryo

"I...can't believe this." Kyara stared blankly at the darkening sky. " can't believe him..."  
She placed a hand on the window, trying to seek comfort from the glass's coldness. The phone rang. Dazedly, Kyara stared at it, but made no move to answer it. It rang again. She slapped herself. "Get a grip, Kyara." she seethed inwardly.  
She picked up the phone. "Hello?"  
"Hey! It's Te'a."  
Kyara sighed and pressed the phine against her ear. "Yeah?" she asked, her voice coming shakily.  
Te'a voice turned serious. "Something wrong?"  
Before she could stop herself, Kyara broke down. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I-I should never h-have thought that h-he would..."  
"Whoa! Slow down, Kya." Te'a said soothingly. "What happened?"  
"I told Seto how I felt." Kyara blurted.  
"What?! What did he say? Oh wait-he didn't!"  
"Yes." Kyara punched the wall before her. "He just...brushed me away."  
"I'm sorry." Te'a said.  
"Its okay." Kyara shrugged despite the fact that te'a couldn't see her. "I should have known..."  
"I guess then this wouldn't be a good time to mention the dance that's coming up...." Te'a mumbled.  
"A what?!"  
"the school's holding a fall dance in about a week. And you wouldn't believe what theme was chosen for it!"  
"What's the theme?"  
"Duel Mosnters!" Te'a cried incredulously.  
"Are you serious?!" Kyara shouted. In her amazement, she almost forgot about her recent failure in love. Almost. She collasped into a chair. "Well, it's not like I'm gonna go anyway."  
"But Kyara!" Te'a said. "Just because you don't have a date, doesn't mean you can't go!"  
"What's the point?"  
"Well, from what I hear, they're also gona have some 'mini duels' at the dance, as entertainment."  
"Still..."  
"Please! Yugi, Tristan, Joey, and I are going as friends. You should come along too."  
"Fine."  
"Oh! Before I forget."  
"What?" Kyara twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers.  
"Since its a formal occasion, we can dress up ad Duel Monster if we want!"  
"Really?"  
"Yep! I'm going as the Magician of Faith, you?"  
"I think I'll go as the same."  
"Cool! Then we'd be twins!"  
Kyara glanced at her bedside clock. "Listen, I gotta go. I'll see you later, alright?"  
"Bye."  
With a sigh, Kyara dropped the phone and threw herself onto her bed. The phone rang again. She raised her head out of the pillows. Could it be Te'a again? Only one way to find out.  
"Hello?"  
"Kyara?" an unfamiliar voice asked.  
"Who is this?" she sat up.  
"Remember me? I remember you?" the voice continued.  
She cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Who are you?"  
"Look out the window, Kara-chan!"  
Kyara gasped at the old nickname and hurried to the window. A tall, black-haired teenager about Kyara's age stood on the sidewalk, a silver cellphone in one hand. "Remember me now?" the boy asked when he caught sight of Kyara peering at him from the second floor.  
Kyara gasped. "Ryo?!"  
  
A/N: Rhymes with 'Neo'.  
  
A grin spread across Ryo's features. "Hey Kyara."  
"Ryo! I haven't seen you since what,-"  
"Fifth grade to be exact, Kara-chan." he said.  
"B-But, what are you doing here?"  
"My family and I are visiting for about two weeks. Can I come up?"  
Remembering her manners, Kyara hurried to open the front door to let in her childhood friend. Ryo grinned wolfishly when she opened the door. 


	15. Advice From A Friend

"Miss me, Kara-chan?"  
Kyara smiled weakly and hugged her childhood friend. "Actually, it's Kya-chan now."  
Ryo scanned Kyara's face with his eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked.  
With a sigh, Kyara lead him into the living room. Ryo always had a way of knowing when something was bothering her. Ryo plopped himself on the couch. "You got a problem, Kyara?" he pointed to a seat across from him. "Come tell Uncle Ryo."  
The ebony-haired girl giggled. Same old Ryo. She took a deep breath. "Have you heard of Seto Kaiba?" she asked.  
"Who hasn't?" Ryo placed both hands behind his head. "The Duel Monsters World Champion, CEO of KaibaCorp, he's obscenely rich, and there's probably a whole list of things that I haven't mentioned yet."  
"Yea..." Kyara's eyes glazed over as she thought about something.  
Ryo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Let me guess, Kyara." he said slowly. "Its like a classic fairy tale. Here we have the lovely Kyara-"  
"Hey! So you're comparing my love life to a fairy tale?!"  
"Listen to me for a second, Kyara." Ryo wagged a playful finger in her face. "Now we find Seto Kaiba. Together, you two were how you say, best friends?"  
Kyara nodded, settled into her seat, and listened as Ryo ranted on. "But like every close friendship, it somehow changes to affection? You tell him your feelings, but he just brushes you away, saying how he 'doesn't need that kind of stuff in his life.'"  
"How do you know so much about these things, Ryo?"  
"Well..." Ryo grinned sheepishly. "Truth be told, I always make it up as I go."  
"Interesting."  
"So did I get it right?"  
"Amazingly, yes."  
"And I guess now you're going to ask me what to do?"  
"No," Kyara said sarcastically. "I was gonna ask you to Duel me."  
Ryo laughed. "I can see you haven't changed one bit."  
"Neither have you." Kyara replied. "Can you help me?"  
With a nod, Ryo spoke, "If you were someone else, Kara-chan, I wouldn't bother interfering with your love life. But..." he winked at her. "Since you're like the sister I never had, how could I say no?"  
"I knew I could count on you." Kyara smiled.  
"Can you at least fill me in, though?" Ryo asked.  
"Sure."  
  
* * *  
  
"...And then right before you arrive, Te'a calls and tells me about the dance that's coming up in about a week." Kyara finished.  
"Hmm..." Ryo scratched his ear and thought about what Kyara had just told him about the events of the previous weeks. "A Duel Monsters dance, you say?"  
"Yea, why?"  
Ryo patted Kyara's shoulder comfortingly. "Forget about Seto, Kyara."  
"What?! How could I possibly do that?!"  
Ryo held up his hands defensively. "I didn't mean like cut him out of your life forever! If he truly does has feelings for you, I'm sure he'll come around sooner or later."  
"And how does going to the dance with my friends have anything to do with that?"  
"Try forgetting about him for a little while." Ryo said. "Go to the dance, have fun."  
"You know what?" Kyara stood up. "You're right, Ryo!"  
"Good." Ryo rose from his seat. "But would it be okay for me to come along with you and your friends too?"  
"Well..." Kyara bit her lip. "You sure?"  
"Totally."  
"And the fact that its a costume party doesn't faze you?"  
"Kara-chan, I'm so sure about going, I'll dress up as Neo The Magic Swordsman."  
  
A/N: Neo is a real card. Its found in SD Yugi. 


	16. Party Night

"Te'a, are you sure about this?" Kyara asked as they walked towards the school with Yugi, Tristan, Joey, and Ryo.  
"Of course!" She poked Kyara's arm playfully with the Magician of Faith's wand. "And don't worry, you look fine!"  
Kyara countered by jostling Te'a with her own wand. "Twin Magician of Faiths? It could be worse." she remarked sarcastically.  
Joey, dressed as Masaki the Legendary Swordsman, pushed the group along. "C'mon, people! The duels are gonna start soon!"  
Tristan, outfitted as his favorite card, the Cyber Commander, grabbed the staff Yugi held and prodded Joey's stomach with it. "Look, 'Masaki', this is as fast as I go!"  
Yugi, of course, was the Dark Magician. He retrieved his staff from Tristan's grip. "Guys, hurry up, or we're going to be late!"  
  
* * *  
  
"Wow, look at this place!" Joey pointed at the decorations adorning the walls and ceiling. "Balloons, posters, and even real cards are strung up on the walls!"  
Kyara followed Te'a to a nearby table where a duel was being held. "Looks like fun." she remarked.  
While the two girls were watching the card game, Ryo was talking to Yugi. "...And that's what happened." he finished.  
Yugi nodded sympathetically. "Poor Kyara."  
At that moment, Seto Kaiba stepped through the entranced. Heads turned to look at Kaiba, who was not dressed as a Duel Monster, but in a simple outfit consisting of a green shirt and a long dark blue jacket. (The costume he wore to the Duelist Kingdom)  
Ryo stepped towards Kaiba. "And what are you supposed to be?" he asked blandly.  
Kaiba threw him a glare. "The theme is Duel Monsters, you moron. Think about it, what does it look like I am?"  
"A Duelist?"  
Seto gave a harsh laugh. "No. I am not a Duelist, I am THE Duelist."  
"Ok then." Ryo rolled his eyes, and returned to Yugi's side.  
"What an ego..." he murmured.  
Yugi shrugged. "Nothing you can do about it."  
"And Kyara likes this guy?!"  
Yugi shrugged again. "Maybe she sees something in him that we don't."  
Ryo snorted and strode over to the snack table. He poured himself a cup of punch. While sipping the pink-tinged concoction, Ryo surveyed the room. At a nearby table, Kyara was dueling with a fellow student. Apparently, she was beating her.  
"...And that takes your lifepoints down to zero." Kyara said plainly.  
Her opponent, Rika, slammed her cards down. "No!" she glared at Kyara. "I was beating you!"  
With a shrug, Kyara rose from her seat and held out a hand. "Good duel." she said.  
"Whatever." Rika grumbled and she stalked away.  
Kyara gathered her cards. Normally, dueling others gave her so much joy. Now, all the fun seemed to have been drained away. Her eyes wandered across the floor to a table where Kaiba was dueling with another boy. She sighed. "Just forget about him." Ryo's advice echoed back to her.  
Easier said than done, Ryo. Kyara said. Easier said than done.  
  
* * *  
  
Kaiba let out an exasperated groan as the duel ended between him and Hiroshi. Another victory. But something was wrong. Something was missing. He collected his cards and shoved them into his pocket. Unwillingly, he averted his gaze to where Kyara was standing with Te'a and the others.  
But when she looked up and met his gaze, Kaiba felt his heart skip. Could he be wrong? He tried to look at her again, but she had disappeared. 


	17. What Will Kaiba Do?

"How was your duel, Kyara?"  
Smiling thinly, Kyara strode away from her friends. "Fine, Te'a. But I think I'll just sit outside for a little while..."  
Back in the gym, Te'a frowned at Kyara's retreating back. "That does it," she threw a glare at where Kaiba sat across the floor. "I'm going to have a serious talk with Kaiba. Can't he see how much he hurt Kyara?"  
Ryo nodded and watched as Te'a began to sprint across the room. "Good luck."  
But when she reached her destination, Te'a found that Kaiba was nowhere in sight. She turned to Hiroshi, whom Seto had dueled with last. "Where'd Kaiba go?"  
Hiroshi shrugged. "Not sure, he said something about going to the roof. Don't know why, it's really windy up there."  
With a nod, Te'a left him and hurried up a flight of stairs by the back of the gym.  
  
* * *  
  
Seated on the roof, Kaiba stared up at the sky. Before him, his dueling deck lay by his feet, the cards blown askew. He ran a hand through his hair and groaned. He had been wrong. He was in love. But it had taken him so long to realize it. He rubbed his forehead. Regret ebbed at his heart. The sound of a door slamming sounded behind him. But he didn't bother to turn around, he knew it wasn't Kyara.  
"Seto Kaiba!" Te'a cried, an accusing finger pointed straight at him.  
"Go away..." he mumbled.  
But Te'a persisted. "Why are you so heartless?" she said.  
Kaiba swiveled his head around to face Te'a, but said nothing. The brown-haired girl bit her lip. This was going to be tougher than she thought. She cleared her throat. "Kaiba, don't you know there's a girl out there who loves you?"  
The Duel Monsters World Champion rose from where he sat and walked quietly to the edge of the roof. He gazed down at the ground below. "There's only one girl for me. Unfortuneately, I've already ruined any chance I had with her."  
Te'a followed his gaze. Seated on a stone bench two stories down, was Kyara. So he does care. Te'a thought. There could be some hope.  
"If you do love her, why don't you tell her?!"  
Kaiba whirled around to face her. "How can I?!" he demanded. "After what I've done, I'm surprised she even stays in the same room as I do!"  
"You got a point there..." Te'a said under her breath.  
Kaiba clenched his fists. "If only..." he stammered. "If only...-I don't know what to think."  
Te'a frowned at him, arms akimbo. "Then don't. Go to her," her expression softened slightly. "Tell her how you feel. Its not too late."  
Seto looked at her, a look of amazement in his eyes. "You're right." he said quietly. "You're right..."  
Kaiba turned away from the ledge and walked to the roof entrance. After opening the door, he hurried down the stairs.  
  
* * *  
  
  
Out in the courtyard, Kyara sat miserably, her thoughts in chaos. Ryo's advice wasn't helping. She still felt depressed. Behind her, the buzz of conversation coming from the party did little to improve her mood. Faintly, she heard approaching footsteps. Probably Te'a or Ryo. The footsteps stopped. "Leave me alone." she said to whoever stood behind her.  
"No." a voice said.  
Kyara started when she recognized the voice. She turned around. "Seto?" she cried in disbelief.  
He nodded and sat himself beside her. "We need to talk." he said gently. 


	18. Hanging By a Moment

A/N: I decided to try integrating song lyrics into the chapters again. So here's "Hanging By a Moment" by Lifehouse, one of my fav songs.  
  
*Desperate for changing   
Starving for truth   
I'm closer to where I started   
Chasing after you*  
  
  
Kyara scowled at Kaiba. "Like I said, go away." she repeated.  
"And like I said, no."  
Kaiba hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said."  
Kyara turned away, and her black hair seemed to gather around her cheeks like a veil as she swiveled around. "I don't care."  
  
  
*I'm falling even more in love with you   
Letting go of all I've held onto   
I'm standing here until you make me move   
I'm hanging by a moment here with you*  
  
  
For a split-second, Kaiba felt as if all hope was lost.   
But only for a moment.   
"You do care, Kyara." he persisted.  
The girl whirled to face him, her eyes betraying confusion. "What?"  
"If you didn't care, Kyara," Kaiba said matter-of-factly. "You would have left already."  
  
  
*Forgetting all i'm lacking   
Completely and complete   
I'll take your invitation   
You take all of me*  
  
  
Stunned by his words, Kyara stared at him for a long minute before leaping to her feet. Wordless, she began to walk towards the street. Kaiba skirted over to her side. "Listen to me, Kyara," he said breathlessly. "I know I probably didn't love you as long you have loved me, or perhaps even as much, but now I do. And maybe...just maybe, more."  
  
  
*Now.. I'm falling even more in love with you   
Letting go of all I've held onto   
I'm standing here until you make me move   
I'm hanging by a moment here with you*  
  
  
Again, Kyara halted to stare at him. The World Champion sighed and smiled weakly at her. "C'mon, let's go back to the dance."  
"No."  
  
  
*I'm living for the only thing I know  
I'm running and not quite sure where to go  
I don't know what I'm diving into  
Just hanging by a moment here with you*  
  
Kaiba groaned as he watched Kyara stalk away, heading farther down the street. This is hopeless. He thought. He turned away. Perhaps, it's better this way.  
  
  
*There's nothing left to lose   
Nothing left to find   
There is nothing in the world that can change my mind   
There is nothing else   
There is nothing else...*   
  
  
No. Seto's thoughts raced. Nothing is hopeless; we must hope for everything. Kaiba ran after her again. "I love you." he said when he had gotten within range of her.  
Once again, Kyara's fleeing ceased. A flicker of emotion hung in her eyes.   
  
  
*Desperate for changing   
Starving for truth   
Closer where I started   
Chasing after you*  
  
  
Slowly, Kyara strode towards him. She stopped when she was barely five inches away. "I love you too, Seto..." she murmured.  
Kaiba reached out with a hand, and ran his thumb down her cheek. The other hand raised to encircle around her waist. He pulled her close. "Kyara..."  
  
  
*I'm falling even more in love with you   
Letting go of all i've held onto   
I'm standing here until you make me move   
I'm hanging by a moment here with you*  
  
  
"I'm so sorry, Kyara..." Seto whispered as he embraced her.  
"It's okay." Kyara said as she leaned on his shoulder.  
Unexpectantly, Kyara pulled away. "What's wrong?" Kaiba asked.  
  
  
*I'm living for the only thing i know  
I'm running and not quite sure where to go  
I don't know what i'm diving into  
Just hanging by a moment here with you*  
  
  
The Magician of Faith-costumed girl stared at his clothes in confusion. "What are you supposed to be?!"  
"W-What?"  
Kyara shook her head and smirked. "You don't look like any Duel Monster I've ever seen."  
Kaiba laughed and kissed her on the lips. "I'm not a Monster, Kya, I'm a-"  
"You called me Kya." Kyara said in disbelief.  
"Excuse me?" Kaiba asked.  
"Out of the entire time I've known you, you've never called me Kya before."  
"Well, I'm calling you that now, aren't I?" Kaiba pressed his forehead against hers. "And if I hear anyone else besides me calling you that, I'll sic my Blue-Eyes on them."  
  
  
*Just hanging by a moment   
Hanging by a moment..   
Hanging by a moment...   
Hanging by a moment here with you...* 


	19. Idle Threats and a Duel

Kyara giggled at Kaiba's idle threat to the world. "Oh, really?"  
Seto smiled and walked with her back to the school. "Hey, don't I owe you a dance?" he asked.  
"Do you?" Kyara replied. "The Great Seto Kaiba wishes to dance with ME? No, Seto, to be honest, I'm not a good dancer."  
"Then what do you want to do?"  
"Well..." a mischievious glint arose on Kyara's eyes. "I would like to duel you!"  
Kaiba kissed her cheek softly before walking through the gym's double doors. "All right then."  
Inside, Ryo was shocked to see Kaiba stride into the party with Kyara by his side. "Wow," he mused to Yugi. "Te'a really knocked some sense into Kaiba."  
"I don't think so," Yugi toyed with his Dark Magician wand. "I believe Te'a just gave Kaiba the push he needed to tell Kyara how he really felt."  
Ryo squinted at the pair as they seated themselves at a table. "Hey! It looks like they're about to...duel!"  
Nearby, Joey and Tristan started at Ryo's words. "A duel? Where?!"  
  
* * *  
  
"Maybe we should have dueled somewhere else, Seto." Kyara observed as they began to shuffle their respective decks. "A crowd's beginning to gather."  
"Too late for regrets." Kaiba replied. "Besides, let's show them a duel they won't likely be able to forget."  
Kyara nodded. "So...how about we put up a prize?"  
"A prize?" Kaiba raised a quizzical eyebrow. "What do you mean?"  
"If you win, I'll give you a prize of your choice."  
"Tempting." Kaiba said slowly. "And what if you win?"  
"If I win..." Kyara bit her lip thoughtfully. "Well, I would like to have that Shadow Spell card of your's."  
"Shadow Spell? You don't desire the Blue-Eyes?"  
"Not really."  
Seto Kaiba extended a hand. "Agreed."  
Kyara placed her cards down onto the deck zone. "Ready."  
Her opponent did the same and drew six cards. "Let's see," Kaiba scrutinized his hand thoughtfully. "I'll put this Magic card face-down and play Rude Kaiser in attack mode!"  
Kyara picked up three Magic cards and placed them in the designated Magic / Trap card area. "Three face-down cards. Then, I'll play this Monster face down in defense mode."  
"I'll attack your defense Monster." Kaiba declared.  
Kyara grinned as she turned the card over. "Oh, too bad. The Man-Eater bug. If you flip it over, it gets to automatically destroy one Monster. So your Rude Kaiser gets destroyed along with it."  
"Dang." Kaiba drew a card from his deck. He smirked when he saw it. "Go! La Jinn, the Mystical Genie of the Lamp."  
Kyara slammed down a Monster card. "I play this! Goblin Strike Team! It has an attack strength of 2300. I destroy your La Jinn."  
Kaiba's life points were down to 1500.  
"Nice move." he said plainly. "I counter your Goblins with the Legendary-"  
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Kyara finished. "Of course."  
"Right. Then I attack your Goblin Strike Team."  
"Not so fast, Kaiba." Kyara picked up her card. "It has a magical effect. When attack by any Monster, this card automatically switches to defense mode."  
"So it gets destroyed still, but with no effect to your life points." Kaiba grumbled.  
Kyara placed two cards on the board. "I play these two Monsters in defense mode. Then," she reached down to one of the cards she had placed down earlier. "I activate my Trap card, Two-Pronged Attack! It allows me to destroy one of your Monsters by sacraficing two of mine."  
"Well played." Kaiba drew another card. "But here, my second Blue-Eyes!"  
"Oh wow, the second one." Kyara commented. "Then I play Dark Hypnotist: Lucifer in attack mode."  
Kaiba snorted when he saw the card. "You've gotta be kidding me. That thing's attack is 1500! It can't even defend itself against the ferocity of the Blue-Eyes!"  
"True." Kyara tapped the Dark Hypnotist absently. "But this one ALSO has a magical effect. When I play this Monster face up, one of your Monsters can't attack as long as its on the field."  
"Ah, so you played it just to disable my Blue-Eyes, didn't you?"  
"Yep."  
"Why do so many of your cards have magical effects?" Kaiba asked in exasperation.  
"Why do you get three Blue-Eyes?!" Kyara countered.  
Kaiba placed a Magic card face down. "Because I'm the World Champion." he said with a grin.  
"My turn, right?" Kyara put down three Monster cards. "I'll put these in defense mode in order to draw three cards."  
Triumphantly, Kaiba turned over a card. "Then I activate my Trap card, Just Desserts! It takes away 500 of your life points for every Monster you have on the field!"  
Kyara slapped herself. "Damn."  
Kaiba rose from his seat. "Good game."  
Reaching up, Kyara shook Seto's outstretched hand. "Yea."  
"Oh, Kyara," Seto said slowly. "What about my prize?" 


	20. Upcoming Challenges

Kyara placed both hands on her hips. "Alright, Seto. What do you want for a prize?"  
"Shuffle your deck. I'll draw a card, and whichever one I get, that'll be my prize."  
For a moment, Kyara seemed dubious on letting Kaiba draw a card. But she relented and began to shuffle the pile of cards she held. Finally, she held it out to him. "Here."  
Reaching over, Seto drew a single card and brought it over to his face. "Well, what is it?" Kyara tried to get a glimpse of it.  
Kaiba turned it over. "The Magician of Faith."  
Kyara's features saddened. "Well what do you know. My favorite card. Take it then."  
Her opponent shook his head and handed it back to its owner. "Its your favorite, so I won't take it. Let me draw again."  
Obliging, Kyara offered him the deck again. Kaiba drew one. A shocked look arose on his features when he saw what card it was. "The Petite Angel?!"  
All around, the observers laughed aloud when they heard what card it was. Only Te'a wasn't amused. "There's nothing wrong with it, if you ask me." she grumbled.  
With a sigh, Kaiba pocketed the card. "Well, that's my prize then."  
"You sure you don't want to draw again?" Kyara asked.  
"No, that's all right."  
After putting away her dueling deck, Kyara glanced down at her watch. "Nine o-clock." she read. "I should get going."  
"I can give you a ride home." Seto offered.  
"Sure."  
  
* * *  
  
Back out on the street again, Kyara threw back her head to glance at the night sky. "What a party." she said.  
Kaiba steered Kyara in the right direction to his car while she continued to stare heavenwards. "You make it sound like a mandatory affair."  
"Well, I only went because Te'a begged me to."  
"Oh."  
"Then again, I did have a good time, despite my earlier thoughts."  
Kaiba smiled thinly. "That's good."  
Kyara tore her gaze away from the night sky. "You sound distracted. A penny for your thoughts?"  
"The Intercontinental Championships are next week."  
"Really?" Kyara stopped walking.  
With his arm, Kaiba pushed Kyara forward. "Yes. Did you qualify for them?"  
"Yes, why? Are you going?"  
A laugh escaped from Kaiba's throat, a bubbly light sound. "Kya, I'm the World Champion. What will they think if I DON'T go?"  
"True," Kyara got into the car. "Its expected of you, isn't it?"  
After shutting the door, Kaiba stuck a key into the ignition. "Being World Champion comes with responsibilities, y'know."  
"Same thing with being CEO of KaibaCorp?"  
"Yep."  
"So where are they being held this year?"  
"Well," Kaiba stared at the steering wheel thoughtfully. "I believe that they've chosen Tokyo to be the hosting city this year."  
"Really?" Kyara leaned forward with interest. "Then I guess we won't have to travel that far, huh?"  
"Yes, and guess whose company is providing the digital dueling stations."  
"Yours?" Kyara asked meekly.  
Seto smirked at her tone. "How'd you know?"  
"I'm psychic, Seto," she touched a finger to her forehead. "Nothing escapes me! It doesn't take a genius to figure it out anyhow, KaibaCorp is the only company that produces them!"  
"Just curious," Kaiba pointed to Kyara's dueling deck. "If I had decided to draw again, what card would I have gotten?"  
Kyara drew the next card. "The Mage of Winds."  
Kaiba waved it off dismissively. "Ack, its no use without the other three." 


	21. Phonecalls and Planning

"Thanks again for the ride, Seto." Kyara said gratefully as she got out of the car.  
With a nod, Seto Kaiba watched Kyara's retreating back. "Hey," he cried after her. "Do you need a ride for the Intercontinentals?"  
"Why?" Kyara turned to face him.  
"Well, seeing as we're both going...." Kaiba trailed off.  
With a wink, Kyara nodded. "That would be great. I'll see you then."  
  
* * *  
  
Once back within the cool recesses of her home, Kyara let out a deep sigh, as if she had just shedded a great burden. What a night. So Kaiba did care. She smiled wistfully as she strode up the stairs to her room. Strange how things could change so fast. The phone rang. Picking it up, Kyara held it to her ear. "Hello?"  
"Kya-chan! It's Ryo."  
"Oh, hi! Still at the school, huh? What's up?"  
"Well...." Ryo said. "Te'a and the others would like to know about you-know-what."  
"What?!" Kyara laughed at his request. "You've gotta be kidding me."  
"Please?" Ryo asked.  
Again, Kyara giggled, this time at his meekness. "I'll probably tell you guys later. Maybe."  
"That's not fair, Kyara."  
"Hey, life isn't fair, Ryo."  
"I know." Kyara's friend agreed. "Oh yea, have you seen those flyers around town about the up-coming tournament?"  
"Yes."  
"Are you going?"  
"Why wouldn't I? I qualified."  
"Wait," Ryo said, and he could be heard talking to someone else. "Yugi wants to talk to you."  
"Okay."  
Again, Kyara heard Ryo talking to someone in the backround. "...And hurry up, Yugi, my cell phone's almost outta power."  
"Don't worry, Ryo, I'll make it quick." Yugi replied. "Kyara?"  
"Hi, Yugi!"  
"I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to the tournament too!"  
"Really?" Kyara cried. "You need a ride?"  
"I don't know..." Yugi said thoughtfully. "I might have my Grandpa take me."  
"Please? Seto's driving me, I'm sure he won't mind."  
Again, Ryo's voice could be heard. "Sure, sure, use my phone until it's totally drained so that I have to charge it all over again! It's not like I have friends to call!"  
"Just ignore him." Kyara laughed. "Ryo's like that. He doesn't mean it really. I think. Anyways, we can pick you up if you want."  
"You sure?"  
"Course I'm sure!" Kyara nodded desptite the fact that he couldn't see her. "Where you want us to pick you up?"  
"At my Grandpa's shop. It's the Turtle Game Shop."  
"'Turtle'"?  
"Yea, you can't miss it."  
"Okay!" Kyara said cheerfully. "See you then!"  
She hung up. Back in her room, Kyara set down her dueling deck onto her desk. For a long moment, she stared at the pile of cards thoughtfully. Should she take the time to create a new strategy? Maybe later. 


	22. To The Tournament

"Good morning, Seto." Kyara said cheerfully on the morning of the new tournament.  
"Yea." he smiled as Kyara got into the car. "Ready to go?"  
"Oh, I almost forgot," Kyara remarked as she set her bag down by her feet. "Is it okay if Yugi rides with us?"  
"Yugi Muto?" Kaiba's normally bland features contorted in confusion. "He qualified for the Intercontinental Championships?"  
"Yea, y'know, Duelist Kingdom and all..." Kyara trailed off.  
For a minute or two, Kaiba seemed caught on whether to allow Yugi to come with them. To Kyara's relief though, he finally nodded. "All right, he can come with us."  
"Thanks, Seto." Kyara kissed his cheek gratefully.  
  
* * *   
  
"...There's Kyara now, Grandpa, see you later!"  
"Have fun, Yugi. And remember-"  
"I know, Grandpa, 'believe in the heart of the cards!'"  
With a smile, Kyara watched as the diminuative duelist dashed towards them, his Millennium Puzzle swinging around his neck. Kyara scrutinized the object carefully. To her, it seemed to big and clunky to make a good necklace. But whatever.  
"Morning, Yugi." Kyara said as he got into the back seat.  
"Hey, Kya! Good morning, Kaiba."  
From where he sat, Kaiba grunted in what he thought was a greeting for his rival. "Hi."  
Ever the optimistic, Yugi settled in his seat, buckled his seatbelt, and smiled at everyone in the car. Kyara swivelled back around in her chair. "Sooo..." she commented once they were back on the road. "Are we all ready to take the Intercontinentals?"  
"Ready!" Yugi nodded.  
Kyara frowned playfully at Seto's silence. "C'mon, Seto, are you ready?"  
"I'm trying to drive, Kya." he replied.  
Slouching in her seat, Kyara pouted until Kaiba finally let up. "Oh, all right." he rested his free hand on her shoulder. "I look forward to the tournament."  
"Hey, Yugi," Kyara turned her head around to face him. "What about Te'a and the others?"  
"Oh! They'll be coming later, to cheer us on."  
"That's good."  
  
* * *  
  
"There it is." Yugi pointed at an immense dome as it rose into view. "The Convention Center."  
"Good thing we left early," Seto mumbled. "Just look at how many people have already arrived."  
"Reminds me of the line at the Duelist Kingdom." Yugi said.  
"Reminds ME of the line at the last tournament I was at." Kyara countered.  
"Well..." Yugi bit his lip thoughtfully and racked his brain for a comeback. "Reminds ME of the lunch line at school!"  
Kyara laughed heartily at Yugi's reply. "That's a good one. Okay...Reminds ME of the-"  
"If you guys keep reminding yourselves of lines, you're gonna find yourself in THAT line instead of my car." Kaiba threatened, his arm gesturing at the gargantuam line of people waiting to be admitted into the dome.  
Kyara shook her head and smiled. "You wouldn't do that, Seto. Would you?"  
"No," he gave her a sideways smirk. "Besides, as World Champion, I can waltz right in there without waiting in line."  
"Since we're with you, can we do that?"  
Kaiba chuckled lightly. "I don't see why not."  
After parking the car, the trio walked towards the immense Convention Center. Sighing wistully, Kyara leaned against Kaiba's shoulder and walked on. "I wonder if anyone I know is competing in this?" she said her thoughts aloud.  
"I'm competing, Kyara." Yugi said from Kaiba's left. "You know me."  
"Of course." she giggled at his reply. "But I meant anyone ELSE."  
As they neared the mass of people waiting to enter, snatches of different conversations could be hear.  
"Wow! It's Seto Kaiba! So much for getting first place!"  
"...And there's that Yugi kid! Didn't he defeat Kaiba once?"  
"Aw, that's OLD news, Renee."  
"But that girl next to Kaiba, is she..."  
"Yea, that's Kyara Nayako alright. She took third a year back."  
"Well, there goes first, second, AND third place!"  
"Yea, I know...."  
Upon hearing the last two comments, Kyara stifled another giggle. "Wow, Seto, they really think the three of us are gonna take all three places!"  
"And why not?" Seto shook his head at the other competitors. "They can try, Kya, but I doubt they'll be able to beat us."  
"Maybe, Seto, but-"  
"Hey! Kyara!" a new voice cried.  
Upon turning around, Kyara found a tall boy about her age with shaggy, dark brown hair and bright green eyes hurry over to them. She cocked her head to one side. "Do I know you?" she asked.  
The boy's face fell. "Kyara! It's me, Toshiro."  
"Oh, yea!" Kyara's confusion turned to realization. "Toshiro Tachikawa! We used to go to elementary school together!"  
Beside her, Kaiba seemed disgruntled. Or was it protective? "Toshiro?" he asked smugly. "Isn't that a computer?"  
"TOSHIRO, not TOSHIBA!" Kyara cried in exasperation.  
"Oh, my mistake."  
"You must be the famous Seto Kaiba." Toshiro remarked. "The CEO of Kaiba Corporation, owner of the only three Blue Eyes White Dragons in the world, and Duel Monsters World Champion-"  
"Toshiro, that's enough." Kyara said.  
"My apologies."  
From where he stood, Yugi surveyed the newcomer and Kaiba thoughtfully. Why did he suddenly feel that this day wouldn't turn out they way they thought it would? 


	23. Registration

With a grimace, Kaiba looped an arm around Kyara's shoulders. "An old friend?" he mumbled into her ear.  
"Not exactly..." she smiled weakly at him. "I'll explain later."  
From behind the two, Yugi tugged at Kyara's sleeve. "C'mon, they're beginning to let people in!"  
Kaiba let Kyara and Yugi to the front of the line. But before they could enter, they were halted by one of the security guards. "Hold it," he said gruffly. "You're gonna have to wait in line, just like everyone else."  
Sighing in exasperation, Seto rolled his eyes and fished a dark blue card from his pocket and showed it to the guard. "Just let me in."  
To Kyara's surprise, the man let Seto pass. "Just go right on in, Mr. Kaiba." he said.  
"Hey! What about us?!" Kyara cried.  
"Come on, or we're going to be late." Kaiba nodded at the guard."They're with me."  
As he walked inside, Kaiba couldn't help but smirk at the sight of Toshiro, who was stuck waiting to be admitted.  
Once inside the Convention Center, Kyara couldn't help but groan when she saw the interior. "Great. More waiting. When do we get to duel?!"  
Kaiba gestured towards the row of tables in front of them. "I think we have to register first."  
"Oh. Of course."  
But before setting off, Kyara turned back to yell at the other two. "Meet me back at that fountain in fifteen minutes, okay?"  
"Sure." Kaiba and Yugi replied in unison.  
  
* * *  
  
"Name?"  
"Kyara Nayako."  
The woman at the registration desk frowned for a moment as she glared at the computer before her. "Let's see...here we are. Nayako...Placed second in the qualification rounds."  
Out of pure boredom, Kyara began tapping her foot impatiently on the carpeted ground. Patience may be a virtue, but not always. Finally, the woman typed something into the computer and handed Kyara a piece of paper that the printed spit out. "Here, your first duel is set for 3-o-clock today, and here," she tapped the bottom half of the sheet with a pen. "Is the hotel you'll be staying at if you make it through the first round."  
"Hotel? But my house is only a ten minute drive from here!" Kyara replied.  
The frumpy woman shrugged. "Hey, I don't make the rules. All contestants are provided with rooms at the Convention Center Hotel. Deal with it."  
Deciding it was better to not argue her case any further, Kyara took her form and hurried off to find Yugi or Kaiba.  
  
* * *  
  
"Name?"  
From where he stood, Kaiba glared at the speaker, but said nothing. The person at the registration desk, another woman, seemed to cower under his stare. Meekly, she asked again. "Name, please?"  
The duelist before her threw her a who-does-it-look-like-I-am glare before finally replying, "Seto Kaiba."  
The woman gave a quiet sigh. "Mr. Kaiba...Let's see now..." she attempted to type and advoid his stare at the same time. It took an eternity for the printer to finally spew out Kaiba's form. The woman handed it to him. "Uh, well, let's see. Your first duel is-"  
"I can read, my first match is in two hours." Kaiba snatched the piece of paper up and strode off.  
  
* * *  
  
"Name?"  
"Yugi Muto!"  
From where he was seated, the third registration manager was forced to stand up in order to see the duelist, Yugi being so short and all. "Oh, there you are." he hurridedly inputed the name into the computer. "Mr. Muto?" he craned his neck because he had lost sight of Yugi again. "There you are. Here's your form. Your first match will be in 2 1/2 hours. And don't forget to check in at the hotel."  
"Thank you!" Yugi said as he took the paper.  
  
* * *  
  
Seated at the fountain by Center's main lobby, Kyara scutinized every detail of her form carefully, but nowhere on the sheet could she find the name of her first opponent. In exasperation, she threw the paper down, but was forced to dive ungracefully after it when it nearly fell into the water. "Damn!" she cursed as her arm came in contact with the icy water.  
Fortunately, Seto intervened just in time before the rest of Kyara would become soaking wet. "You okay?" he asked.  
Kyara grinned sheepishly as she strode a good distance away from what she saw now as a hazardous fountain. "Yea, thanks."  
"No problem." Seto shook his head amusedly at Kyara's recent 'antics'. "You ready to check into that hotel we're supposed to stay at?"  
"Yes, but we have to wait for Yugi first."  
"Oh, okay." Kaiba waited beside Kyara somewhat reluctantly. "About the hotel, where is it?"  
"The top seven floors of the Convention Center is the hotel."  
Finally, Kyara caught sight of her short-statured friend among the throngs of people and duelists. "Yugi! Over here!"  
"Hey guys!"  
Now that the trio was complete again, Kyara pointed at th set of stairs that led to the upper levels and the hotel. "Ready to go?"  
"Yea." 


	24. Coffee, Streetfighters, and Perhaps a Da...

After the three duelists climbed up the set of stairs, they found themselves in an immense lobby furnished with cushioned seats scattered about the sea of blue carpet and large, potted plants. They headed towards the first available desk. A tall, woman with a headfull of ebony curls greeted them. "Konnichiwa!" she chirruped. "Welcome to the Tokyo Convention Center Hotel. I'm Yuriko. How may I help you?"  
"We-"  
"Oh of course!" Yuriko clapped her hands together. "You three are competing in that Duel Monsters thing, right? Yea, we're providing you guys with lodgings."  
"Um-"  
"It's so exciting, isn't it?" Yuriko continued. "I myself want to be a duelist, but who has the time? An-"  
"Woman!" Seto banged a fist onto the marble counter. "We just need three rooms, can you do that WITHOUT all that ceaseless chatter of yours?!"  
Behind the angry Seto, Yugi and Kyara giggled helplessly as the now frightened Yuriko began to hurridedly type into the hotel computer in order to sway herself away from anymore of Kaiba's wrath. "H-Here you go," Yuriko said in a trembly voice as she produced three keys. "Rooms 156, 157, and 158."  
In one fluid, catlike motion, Kaiba snatched the objects up. "Thanks."  
As they walked away, Yuriko summoned up the last of her nerve to cry, "E-Enjoy your stay!"  
Kyara shook her head sadly and glanced one last time at the flustered Yuriko. "Did you have to do that, Seto?"  
Kaiba scoffed. "Please, if I hadn't, we'd still be standing there. God knows how long that woman might have bantered on."  
  
* * *  
  
"Kyara?"  
"Yea, Yugi?"  
"Just curious. This is my my second tournament. Exactly how long will this competition last?"  
"Well..." Kyara tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "The first week is mainly for all the first-round elimination matches. Then, the next week is mainly the final rounds of competition to determine the winner."  
Yugi nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see! So it's kinda like the Olympics, huh?"  
"Yes. And did you know that every hosting city also sets aside some land as a kind of 'tournament village' for the competitors?"  
"Really?"  
"Yep."  
As they neared their rooms, Seto distributed the keys among the three of them. "Here. I'll take room 156."  
"Thanks, Kaiba!" Yugi said as he stuck his key into the room door.  
  
* * *  
  
Seated on her room floor, Kyara stared at her cards carefully as she arranged them in different combos. "Let's see..." she set two off to the side. "I can use the Trap card, Two-Pronged Attack along with these two, then I can eliminate one of my opponent's Monsters. And...if they try to get rid of my card with Remove Trap, I'll be ready for them with this," she turned another card over. "De-Spell."  
After collecting her cards together, Kyara shuffled them again and drew six cards from the top. "Let's see...the Magic card, Soul Release, Yami, Neo the Magic Swords-"  
A knock on the door pulled her away from her cards. Kyara got up, letting her cards fall in a shower to the carpet. "Who is it?"  
"Kyara, it's me, Seto." the person on the outside said.  
"Hey!" Kyara greeted when she opened the door. "Need something?"  
"Uh, well," Seto leaned against the door frame. "Since we have a couple of hours before our first matches...I was wondering if you would, well, y'know, like to go for a drink with me?"  
Kyara smirked. "Are you asking me out on a date, Seto?"  
"N-No, I just thought-"  
"I'll go." Kyara gave him her finest, most angelic smile. "I don't have anything else to do anyways."  
"Um, did you want Yugi to come with us?" Kaiba asked as Kyara joined him and closed the door behind her.  
"I'll ask him."  
Striding over to the room across the hall, Kyara rapped the door smartly with her knuckle. "Yugi?"  
After a moment, the door swung open to reveal Yugi seated on the floor, his cards scattered all around him in different piles. "Oh! Hello!"  
"Hey, Yugi. Listen, we're going out to get something to drink, wanna come?"  
"No, that's okay," the boy continued to arrange his cards around on the carpet. "I wanna prepare myself as much as possible for my first duel. You guys go on without me."  
"Suit yourself." Kaiba shut the door.  
As they couple headed back out to the parking lot, Kyara remarked, "Y'know, I don't know this part of town really well, and we're supposed to stay within the tournament village."  
"That's okay. I know a good cafe that near here that I used to go to a lot with Mokuba."  
"Really?"  
"Yea, I do believe it's called the Cafe Shrine."  
" 'Cafe Shrine'?"  
Kaiba gave a shrug. "I didn't name it, don't ask me. Besides, it's pretty close, so you wanna walk there?"  
"Fine with me."  
  
* * *  
  
"There it is." Kaiba pointed to a red-bricked building as they entered the tournament village. "Its been quite a while since I've been here."  
"Great place." Kyara remarked at they stepped through the cafe's glass doors. "Hey! They even have a arcade!"  
"Hmmm..." Seto said as they sat themselves down at an empty table. "That wasn't there last time I was here."  
"Can you order me an iced latt'e or something?" Kyara headed towards the row of games. "Its been a while since I've played X-Men vs. Streetfighters!"  
With a smile, Kaiba ordered their drinks, then joined Kyara at the games. "Can I try?"  
"Sure!" Kyara moved aside and allowed Seto to position himself in front of the controls. "Here, pick Chun Li! She's the best."  
"Chun Li?" Seto echoed. "Wouldn't one of the X-Men be better against Ryu?"  
"Trust me."  
  
* * *  
  
"...now, dodge left. Watch out! That's Ryu's hadoken attack. Quick! Negate it with Chun Li's kikou ken."  
Obediantly, Seto punched three of the console's buttons. At once, Chun Li produced a bright blue orb of energy and shot it at Ryu. Kyara patted her boyfriend's shoulder eagerly. "Great! Now, before he attacks again, back him up into a corner, and use her Kikou Shou super combo!"  
Kaiba grinned as Ryu's health dropped to zero. "Thanks. You really like this game, don't you?"  
"Yep!" Kyara inserted a coin into the machine. "Wanna fight against me now?"  
Seto smirked at her. "Are you challenging me?"  
"You better believe it!"  
"All right then." Kaiba said as they selected their own characters. "This time, I'll use Wolverine."  
"As for me, I'll use the lovely Chun Li!"  
For about five minutes, the two fought in silence. Kyara grimaced at Kaiba's Wolverine knocked her back with a vicious Beserker Barrage. "Very good."  
"Thank you."  
"But not good enough!" Kyara jerked her joystick about. "Feel my wrath!"  
"Argh!" Kaiba cried. "You killed him!"  
Stifling a giggle, Kyara steered Seto back to their table, where two cups of iced coffee sat waiting to be drunk. "C'mon, the coffee's here."  
Nodding agreeably, Seto sat next to Kyara and sipped slowly at his drink. "That's one of the first game's I've ever lost at."  
Kyara's face fell. "I'm sorry."  
"No," Kaiba smiled at her fondly. "I could get used to losing. To you, that is."  
"Really? I could get used to winning against the 'Great Seto Kaiba'!"  
Kaiba tapped his mug to her's in a toast. "All right then." 


	25. Tekken 4 and Talk of Toshiro With the Oc...

"Wanna play again?" Kyara asked as she drank the last of her coffee.  
"Well-"  
"Hey! Kyara!"  
Upon swivelling around in her seat, Kyara found Joey standing at the door. "Joey?!"  
The blond haired boy grinned. "The one and only!"  
"God knows what the world would be like if there were TWO..." Kaiba mumbled sarcastically.  
Stifling a giggle, Kyara waited until Joey seated himself by them before speaking. "So what are you doing here?"  
"Me? Oh, we came to see you guys compete, but they aren't letting spectators in until half an hour prior to the first duels. So we decided to get something to eat, then head back to the dome."  
"'We'?" Kyara looked out the window. "where's Te'a, Tristan, and Ryo?"  
"Oh, them?" Joey smirked. "I think I walk too fast for 'em to keep up with me."  
"I find that hard to believe." Kaiba said under his breath.  
"Speakin of which..." Joy grimaced as he glanced at Kaiba. "What are you two doing here? Wait! DOn't tell me! Is this a DATE?!"  
"No, you buffoon," Kaiba responded in his usual sarcastic tone. "We just decided to come here together."  
Joey glared at Kaiba, but said nothing. Further conversation was postponed as three people entered the cafe. "Te'a!" Kyara cried.  
Kyara's brown-haired friend nodded in greeting as she took a seat. "How ya doing, Kya?"  
Kyara gave a sigh. "Well, my first duel's only an hour away."  
"You nervous?"  
"Not really," Kyara toyed with her now empty cup. "I never let the competitons I compete in freak me out."  
"I don't see how you can remain so calm, Kya," Ryo remarked as he ordered a drink. "Have you seen how many people are entering this year?!"  
"Tell me about it." Kyara mumbled. "Ryo, guess who I saw today."  
"Who?"  
"Toshiro."  
Ryo's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Toshiro? That-oh," His eyes strayed over to Kaiba. "Oh, him. Good for you."  
Upon hearing Ryo's sudden shift in words, Kaiba scrutinized him thoughtfully for a moment before casting his gaze back downwards again. Was there something about Toshiro he didn't know? Only one way to find out.  
"What about Toshiro?" he asked, quiet enough so that only Joey and Ryo were able to hear.  
At his question, Joey winced sligthly, as if shocked that Kaiba was talking. "How should I know?" Joey asked.  
"I wasn't talking to you." Kaiba replied coldly.   
"Oh..." Joey rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.  
Tristan's eyes strayed over to the row of arcade games. "Hey, Joey?"  
"What?"  
"I think I see Tekken 4 over there!" he pointed towards the back of the room.  
"Really?!" Joey leapt up from where he sat. "Then what are we waitin for?"  
Kyara and Te'a giggled as they watched the two boys amble over to the games. "Wanna watch them slug it out, Te'a?"  
"Why not?" she giggled and strode over with Kyara. "There's nothing else to do."  
"So what about Toshiro?" Kaiba asked once the other four had departed, leaving only him and Ryo at the table.  
"Well, I..." Ryo shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I don't think-"  
"Tell me." Kaiba softened his tone the slightest bit. "What's between Toshiro and Kyara?"  
Ryo sighed. "Look, there's nothing between them, Kaiba."  
Though relieved, Kaiba made sure the emotion didn't register on his features. "Go on."  
"There's nothing much else to say," Ryo replied. "I mean, Kyara always thought of Toshiro as an insensitive jerk."  
"Really? How so?"  
"Well," Ryo's eyes roved over to Kyara, then back to Kaiba. "Just don't tell Kyara I said this, okay?"  
"It all depends on what you say."  
With a sigh, Ryo explained. "Toshiro is a weird kinda guy, you know? Everyone in our fifth grade class knew he had a crush on Kyara. Well, then again, except Kyara herself, that is."  
"So what?"  
"Well, you know what they say, 'you always hurt the one you love'." Ryo said. "I guess it was Toshiro's own weird way of showing that he cared."  
Kaiba snorted in exasperation. "Ryo, you're making absolutely no sense."  
"Really?" he cocked his head to one side. "Okay then, look at it this way. He teased her a lot, all right?"  
Shaking his head, Kaiba rose from his seat and began making his way over to the others. "Thanks for the info." he said shortly.  
Kyara grinned as Kaiba joined them at the games. "Hey, Seto! Ever play Tekken 4 before?"  
"Not really," he replied. "Is it anything like Duel Monsters?"  
"Uh, no. Actually, more like X'Men versus Streetfighters. Watch."  
Planted in from of the console, Joey wrenched his joystick from side to side. "Argh! Die, Hwoarang!"  
Beside him, Tristan chuckled as Joey's health hit zero. "And that's another win for the Great Tristan Taylor!"  
"No!" Joey banged his fist against the controls. "I demand a rematch!"  
"Can I try, Joey?" Kyara stepped forward.  
"Huh? Sure, Kyara." Joey stepped aside. "But I'm warning you, if I can't beat him, you don't stand much of a chance!"  
"Oh, really?" Kyara giggled. "At least let me try!"  
Tristan shook his head sadly. "All right then! But don't think I'm gonna take it easy on ya just cos you're a girl!"  
At the character selection screen, Tristan immediatly chose his favorite fighter. "I'll take Hwoarang! He hasn't failed me yet!"  
Kyara pushed her joystick upwards lazily. "Let's see...I guess Ling Xiaoyu will do for me."  
"You gotta be kidding!" Joey cried. "Ling's too weak to stand up against Hwoarang! Get King, Law, or maybe Kuma instead!"  
"No way." Kyara said over her shoulder. "I know what I'm doing, Joey. Watch me closely, you might just learn something."  
"READY?" the game's mechanical voice asked. "FIGHT!"  
At once, Tristan began punching the buttons before him. On the screen, a black and blue-clothed Hwoarang leapt at Xiaoyu. Kyara manuevered her character out of the way just before Hwoarang's attack could hit her. "Nice try." she giggled. "Miss again, and you'll feel the consequences."  
Tristan jabbed at three different buttons. "Let's see how you handle Hwoarang's Icicle Breaker punch!"  
Again, Kyara's nimble fighter dodged out of the way. Then, Xiaoyu lashed back with an attack of her own. Her hands glowed a fiery crimson, then slammed into Hwoarang's chest, taking away a fraction of his health. "That was Xiaoyu's Phoenix attack!" Kyara remarked triumphantly.  
Tristan ground his teeth angrily. "Okay, tough guy, take this!"  
"Wow, Tristan, that attack did SO much damage to my health..."  
"Hehe..."  
For a few moments the two battled on, the two of them exchanging kicks and punches from the other. Then, seeing an opening, Kyara launched another Phoenix attack. Only this time, right in the middle of the Phoenix, she pressed a few extra buttons. Instantly, Xiaoyu let loose a powerful onslaught upon Hwoarang, obliterating the rest of his health.   
"What was that?!" Tristan cried.  
"THAT was Xiaoyu's Phoenix Hammer." Kyara said.  
From behind them, Kaiba chuckled dryly. "That was quite amusing."  
Tristan groaned. "Aw, man! I lost!"  
Joey patted his friend's shoulder. "It's okay, man."  
Kyara strode away fom the game console and leaned agaisnt Seto's shoulder. "Should we be heading back for the COnvention Center now?"  
Kaiba glanced at his watch. "That would be a good idea."  
Kyara turned to Te'a. "What about you guys?"  
"Perhaps a little later." Te'a said. "They won't be admitting spectators for a little while longer. tell Yugi I said hi, okay?"  
"Sure." Kyara smiled brightly. "See you later!"  
Once the two Duelists had left, Tristan turned to Joey, Ryo, and Te'a. "Anyone up for another game of Tekken?"  
Ryo shook his head. "I prefer Primal Rage."  
"No way!" Te'a placed her hands on her hips and scowled mockingly at them. "I wanna play X'Men versus Streetfighters!" 


	26. PreDuel Troubles

"That was fun." Kyara said as she and Seto headed back out onto the street.  
"I guess."  
"Penny for your thoughts?"  
Seto gave a quiet sigh. "I'm okay," he grinned weakly at her. "I was just thinking about my first match."  
"What about it?"  
Seto waved off the subject dismissively. "Not much. What's really bothering me is this: What if we have to fight each other?"  
Kyara bit her lip. That was certainly true. "Well," she finally sighed. "I guess we'll just have to do our best."  
Kaiba stopped walking. "What do you mean? I may have dueled you before, but that was when nothing was to be won."  
Kyara shook her head and smiled. "I discussed this with Yugi a while back. If we DO have to battle one another, I suppose we'll just have to give it our all." she stared at her boyfriend seriously. "If we have to duel each other, Seto, I want you do give me your best, nothing less would be honorable."  
"That sounds just like something Yugi would say." Kaiba shook his head. "But-"  
"Hey! Don't worry! In every game, there's always a winner and a loser. If you ask me, neither really matters."  
"I wish I could share your optimism." Kaiba murmured as they approached the Convention Center.  
"Don't worry," Kyara repeated as the two of them parted through the throngs of spectators and once again entered the dome-shaped structure. "Everything will be fine."  
At her words, Seto Kaiba couldn't help but feel reassured. Perhaps Kyara was right. After all, what could go wrong?  
  
* * *   
  
"Hey, Yugi?" Kyara knocked on the door lightly. "It's me, Kyara."  
"Oh, hey Kyara!" Yugi's voice called through the closed door. "It's not locked, come on in!"  
Kyara swung the door open. She found Yugi sprawled on his bed, watching TV, his cards laying in a neat pile by his side. The Duelist nodded in greeting. "What's up?"  
"Nothing much. Just wanted to say hi." Kyara strode over and glanced at the television. "Whatcha doin, Yuge?"  
Grabbing up the remote from the floor, Yugi turned off the TV. "I got bored, so I decided to see what's on. But apparently, nothing much." he dropped the remote back onto the ground. "So, how was your date?"  
"Yugi!" Kyara's face blazed a distinct pink. "It wasn't a date!"  
Yugi laughed and toyed absently with his Millennium Puzzle. "Sure it wasn't. Look, even I can tell, Kya. You two are in love. So why are you denying it?"  
"Because I'm trying to save my pride?" Kyara ventured.  
With a grin, Yugi giggled again. "Okay, okay!" he said. "Let's just stay away from that subject for now, all right?"  
"Only because you said so!" Kyara countered. "Oh yea! We met up with Te'a and the others while we were out."  
"Really?"  
"Yea! Te'a says hi." Kyara said cheerfully.  
"That's nice." Yugi glanced at his bedside clock. "But, shouldn't you be getting downstairs? I thought your duel started at..."  
Kyara started. "You're right! I'm gonna be late!" she sprinted towards the door. "See ya later, Yugi!"  
"Good luck!" he cried back. "And believe in the heart of the cards!"  
  
* * *  
  
After retrieving her cards from her room, Kyara hurried downstairs. Again, the lobby was crowded with Duelists and observers. Also quite a few reporters. The moment her foot touched the bottom step, Kyara found herself surrounded by cameras. A microphone poked through the humming machinery, followed closely by a chatty reporter and her crew. "Ms. Nayako!" the newswoman cried. "You won third placed a year back, am I correct?"  
"Uh..."  
"Kyara-san! Do you plan to take FIRST this year?!" another person inquired.  
The questions were coming more frequently now. "Sources say that both Seto Kaiba and Yugi Mutou have entered the tournament. What do you believe are your chances of winning?"  
"Kyara! What are-"  
"ENOUGH!" a stern voice cried  
Immediatly, the crowd of journalists fell quiet. Kyara was stunned. Who had the power to silence all those reporters? She got her answer as a tall, brown-haired Duelist elbowed his way through the crowd. Seto.  
Relieved, Kyara smiled at his arrival. "Perfect timing." she murmured into his ear.  
"These guys giving you a hard time?" Kaiba whispered back.  
"Yes, and I'm late for my first duel!"  
"Well, that's not good." Kaiba shook his head and began shoving people aside. "Show's over, so move!"  
Once safely away from the media, Kyara broke into a run, Kaiba jogging alongside her. "Thank you." she said gratefully. "I owe you one."  
With a smile, Kaiba kissed her lips briefly before ushering her towards the dueling arena. "Now you don't." he gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. "Good luck." 


	27. Kyara versus Yuka

A / N: All the cards found in this duel are real, they're mostly from Starter Deck Kaiba and Starter Deck Yugi. However, I decided to not include the Tribute Summoning rules in this story because they would take some time to explain, even though they are part of the official rules.  
  
"Sorry I'm late!" Kyara cried as she ran headlong into the dueling arena.  
An immense holographic dueling station that had been provided by KaibaCorp stood in the center of the room. all around, spectators yelled impatiently for the duel to start. A judge approached Kyara. "You're just in time," he said. "A minute later, and you would have been disqualified."  
Kyara sighed. "Oh good. So who's my opponent?"  
The man pointed to a girl standing by the dueling station. "Yuka Niwa."  
with a smile, Kyara strode over to her opponent. Yuka seemed bored. "About time."  
"I was running late."  
Yuka stared at Kyara for a long moment before holding out a hand. "Nice to meet you. But don't expect an easy match from me."  
Kyara shook Yuka's proffered hand. "Then let's duel."  
Over by the sidelines, the panel of judges nodded and waited as the two duelists mounted onto the dueling arena. "Duelists ready? This will be a competition duel, meaning each duelist has only 2000 life points, rather than the usual 8000. Ready? Then let the battle begin!"  
The two girls shuffled their decks and drew five cards each. Yuka picked up a card from her hand. "Guess I'll go first." she declared. "I'll start off with Doma the Angel of Silence on attack mode! Also, I lay one face down card."  
The holo generators hummed and produced a 3D image of a tall, brown-clad figure bearing some sort of staff. it's points read 1600 / 1400. Kyara bit her lip and considered this carefully. "Okay then. I'll play the Rogue Doll (1600 / 1000) in attack mode."  
"What kinda move was that?" Yuka scoffed. "Our Monsters are evenly matched."  
"Maybe." Kyara drew a card and placed it down on the field card zone. "But then I add this field card: Yami! It increases the attack and defense of all Fiend and Spellcaster type Monsters by 200 points. Also, it decreases the attack and defense of all Fairy type Monsters by 200 points. So, you're Doma has been reduced to 1400, while my Doll has been raised to 1800." Kyara jabbed a finger at Doma. "Rogue Doll, attack!"  
Yuka's life points were now down to 1600.  
Kyara's opponent grimaced as she drew a card. "Very nicely done," she said lowly. "But its my turn now. Go! Battle Ox, in attack mode! Then, I strengthen my Monster with the magic card, Invigoration, it raises the attack and defense of any Earth type Monster by 400 points. So it's at 2100, more than enough to take out that Doll of yours. Battle Ox, attack!"  
Kyara sighed. She was down to 1700 LP. But perhaps there was a way to turn this all around. But it would require a little bluffing. She placed a Monster card face down in defense mode. "your Battle Ox is too strong for me, Yuka." she said. "So I'll just place this little critter face down."  
Yuka took the bait. "Running scare, huh? Battle Ox, take out Kyara's defense Monster!"  
The armored ox lurched forward and with a swing of its axe, flipped over the defense Monster Kyara had put down, the...  
Yuka gasped. "The Man-Eater Bug!"  
"That's right, Yuka! With your attack, not only did you flip over my Man-Eater Bug, but you activated it's special effect. Say good bye to your Battle Ox."  
The field burst into lights as both the Man-Eater Bug and the Battle Ox were destroyed.  
"My turn," Kyara said brightly. "I'll play one magic card face down and then send out Mystical Elf in defense mode. But, with the field card Yami still here, it's defense is raised to 2200."  
Yuka considered her next move thoughtfully. Now she had a magic card to worry about, along with a powered up Elf. She decided to move to the offensive."I send Judge Man in attack mode. Its attack is 2200. But, I'll also add my own field card: Sogen! It raises all Warrior type and Beast-Warrior type Monsters points by 200 points. So, he's up to 2400. Judge Man, attack!"  
"Minor setback." Kyara said lightly. "I don't have any Monsters strong enough to take down that Judge Man of yours yet, so I'll play one defense Monster, and two more magic cards."  
Yuka raised a hand. "Judge Man, attack!"  
As her Neo the Magic Swordsman was sent to the Graveyard, Kyara placed another card down. "Defense mode. Then," she picked up a card from her hand. "I activate the Magic card, Ookazi! It inflics 800 points of direct damgae to your LP. Now you're down to 800 life points."  
Yuka scowled and threw down a card. "For my turn, I play this Trap card face down."  
Kyara nodded and drew a card from her deck, then raised it to her eyes. A grin spread across her features when she saw it. "This Monster will finish this duel for me, Yuka. Go! Summoned Skull!"  
A tall, blue-winged skeleton with long curved claws emerged onto the field. Because of the Yami card, it's attack was raised from 2500 to 2700. Kyara turned over one of the card she had placed previously. "Then, to strengthen my Fiend even further, I use the Magic card Dark Energy, now he's 3000 points strong. Skull, attack the Judge Man! Lightning Strike!"  
The Summoned Skull reared back and raised it's hands. The air around it crackled with lightning, which shot straight at the Judge Man. Yuka hurriedly turned over her face down card. "Activate Trap!"  
Before the electricity could hit the Judge Man, three women appeared before him. They negated the onslaught. Kyara smiled thinly. "Very clever, playing Waboku."  
"Yes." Yuka said smugly. "For my turn, I switch my Monster to defense mode. I'll also lay one card face down."  
"Bad move." Yuka's opponent held out a card. "I now turn over my Trap: Defense Paralysis! Now that your Judge is back in attack mode, I power up my Skull with the equipment card, Sword of Dark Destruction! It raises his attack to 3400. Nothing can save him now. Summoned Skull, Dark Blade attack!"  
As the Judge Man dissappeared, so did Yuka's life points.  
The crowd broke into cheers, and the judges nodded in approval. "The match is over," one said. "Kyara Nayako is the winner!"  
"YES!!" Kyara cried as she leapt down from the dueling platform.  
On the other side, Yuka slumped down. She had lost. She pounded the board angrily before striding over to Kyara. "Good match." she said with a forced smile.  
Kyara grinned and accepted her compliment. "Yea."  
  
* * *  
  
As Kyara emerged from the dueling arena, she couldn't help but give a deep sigh. Thank goodness that was over. Across the lobby, she found Seto already waiting for her. She joined him by the fountain.  
"Well," Seto commented. "By the looks of that grin on your face, I say you won?"  
"Yes. How did your duel go?"  
Seto scowled. "Pathetic."  
"What happened?"  
The World Champion explained as they walked back upstairs. "My opponent, I forgot his name, he starts out and plays the Claw Reacher face up in defense mode."  
"Hmm..." Kyara said thoughtfully. "It has an attack of 1000 and a defense of 800, right?"  
"Yes. But I took a look at my hand. I had drawn a Blue Eyes, along with the Defense Paralysis card."  
"Wow, thats a great combo."  
"Indeed. So, I play the Blue Eyes, activate the Trap, and attack. His life points are gone." Kaiba shook his head sadly. "One of the judges told me that I broke the world record for fastest duel."  
"Hey!" Kyara cried. "I wanted that title!"  
Kaiba shrugged. "I just hope not ALL my opponents will be this easy." 


	28. Yugi versus Kale

"Well, when we duel, I promise I won't go easy on you!" Kyara chirruped.  
Seto smirked. "I expect no less."  
"Good."  
Kyara sighed again as she approached her room. "I'm so glad that my first match is over!" she remarked. "Hey! I think Yugi's first duel is in like ten minutes. Wanna watch?"  
Kaiba thought about this notion for a moment. Finally, he nodded. "I don't see why not." he answered. "But, then why did we walk up here again?"  
Kyara shrugged. "I was just following you!"  
"Me?" Kaiba placed both of his hands on his chest. "I thought you needed to go upstairs!"  
After a moment, Kyara burst into a fit of giggles. "Never mind." she laughed, and headed back down the hallway. "C'mon, let's get going."  
  
* * *  
  
"My god, this crowd is atrocious."  
"Maybe." Kyara scanned the rows for someplace to sit. She tugged Kaiba along as she spotted an empty row. "We can sit over there."  
"Just a second." Kaiba scowled as he peered off into another direction. "I just spotted a certain blond-haired dueling aqquaintence of yours."  
Kyara stopped. "You mean Joey?"  
"Maybe." Seto allowed a rare smirk to arise on his lips. "Then again, how many dueling monkeys like him are out there?"  
"You're so harsh sometimes, Seto." Kyara commented lightly as they headed towards Joey's vicinity.  
"Hey!" Kyara waved at her friends. "Te'a! Over here!"  
Kyara's friend returned her wave. "How's it going, Kya?" she asked as the two sat down.  
"Me? I'm okay."  
"That's-"  
"Big brother!"  
A little boy emerged from beside Tristan and Ryo. Seto brightened at once at the sight of his little brother. "Mokuba!" he grinned as he sat down beside him.  
"Did ya win your match, Seto? Did ya?"  
Kaiba nodded. "Yep. And without breaking a sweat."  
Kyara soon shushed them all from any further conversation. "Shh!" she cried. "Yugi's just gotten onto the dueling station!"  
"That's right!" Joey got up and shouted as loud as he could. "Go Yugi! I know you can do it, man! Go Yugi!"  
Te'a sighed. "If anyone asks, I don't know him."  
Tristan shrugged. "Aw, c'mon, Te'a." he said. "He's just letting Yugi know that he's got our support."  
"Quiet, everyone!" Ryo shouted. "The duel is about to start!"  
  
Down on the dueling station, Yugi smiled and greeted his opponent. "Hi!" he said cheerfully. "I'm Yugo Muto."  
"The name's Kale." his opponent replied. "Ready to lose?"  
Yugi's smile faded slightly. "Uhh..."  
Kale smirked. "Just so you know, I placed second in my district finals. Don't expect me to go easy on ya."  
"Uh...okay then."  
A judge stepped forward. "Duelists ready? You'll be playing with the regulation 2000 LP (Life points). Shuffle your respective decks, and let the match begin!"  
"Guess I'll go first." Kale remarked as he drew five cards from his deck. "And I'll send Octoberser out in attack mode!"  
After a moment, a holographic image of a strange blue and purple octopus-like creature emerged onto the field. It's points read 1600 / 1400. But Kale wasn't finished yet.  
"To finish my turn, I'll lay one card face down."  
Yugi picked up a card from his hand. He threw it down onto the Monster card zone of his board. "Go! Curse of Dragon!" he cried. "Then, I lay one card face down also. Lastly, I'll attack. Curse of Dragon! Attack with Dragon Flame!"  
The yellow dragon screeched and flapped it's wings eagerly as it's fanged jaws open wide to release a giant plume of fire. The straem of fire struck its target, which disappeared in a burst of crimson and blue. Kale's LP was down to 1600.  
"Well then," Kale said. "I guess the first round goes to you. But, let's see what I can do. First, I'll draw. Then, I'll throw one Monster face down in defense mode. Hmm...I guess that's all I can do against that Dragon of yours."  
"If I can get rid of his defense Monster, I'll be able to attack his LP directly." Yugi thought. "So...I'll use my Dragon to attack his defense Monster, and one to work on his lifepoints..."  
"Go! Summoned Skull!"  
Kale grimaced. "Oh no, it's the Summoned Skull." he said dully.  
Yugi pointed at the glowing square on the field which indicated a face down Monster. "Curse of Dragon, attack that face down card!"  
"Just what I was waiting for." Kale cried as he flipped the Mosnter card over. "You attack my Labyrinth Wall! It has a defense of 3000, so your little Dragon wasn't powerful enough to destroy it. That means, you get 1000 points deducted from your LP! I believe the score is now 1600 to 1000, in favor of....me!"  
  
"This looks bad." Ryo said from up in the audience. "That Labyrinth Wall's defense is too strong!"  
Joey shook his head. "Don't worry, man," he assured him. "Yugi knows what he's doin!"  
  
"Well, Kale, your defenses are now impenetrable." Yugi said as he drew another card. "So I'll just play another card face down."  
Kale grinned as he reached down to the board. "All right then! I flip over this Equip card, Magical Labyrinth! By equiping Labyrinth wall with this, I get to Special Summon this..." he threw a card down onto the field in attack mode. "The Wall Shadow! Oh, and to finish my turn, one face down card."  
On the once empty Wall, a shadowy specter appeared. With it's red gem studded green skin and reaping claws, the Wall Shadow made a almost fearsome sight. It would have been more fearsome if it's attack wasn't a mere 1600.  
Yugi raised his hand. "You've made a fatal mistake, Kale! That Wall Shadow's no match for my Summoned Skull! Attack!"  
Yugi's Skull raised it's arms. The air around it began to crackle with electricity. Kale laughed as the lightning came towards his Monster. "You fell for my Trap, Yugi. I activate this Trap, Waboku! It reduces all damage done by you to zero for one turn!"  
Yugi sighed. Kale had had a Trap card prepared. Across the field, Kale drew another card. He reached down for his Wall Shadow card. "I'll switch this baby into defense mode." he said. "And power up with another Magic card, Horn of Light! It raises it's defense by 800 points. So, his defense is up to 3800. Your move."  
Yugi groaned. Kale's defense was too strong. Unless...  
Yugi drew a card and brought it eye level. He smiled. It was a Ritual Card. But this would be used later. He picked up two cards. "I'll throw Ancient Elf in defense mode and also play my De-Spell card. So, Wall Shadow's defense is down to 3000 again."  
Kale shrugged. "Nicely done. But I can do much better. Now watch as I destroy that Summoned Skull!"  
"My Skull?" Yugi looked perplexed. "Your Wall Shadow couldn't possibly be powerful enough!"  
"Maybe not right now," Kale threw down a card. "But he will be once I turn him back into attack mode and activate this very powerful Magic card. Go, Shield and Sword!"  
On the field, the images of all the present Monsters blurred for a few seconds before re-focusing. Though their bodies hadn't changed, the Monster's points had been swapped. The Summoned Skull was at 1200 offensive points while the Wall Shadow's had become 3000, strength equal to a Blue Eyes White Dragon.  
"Now, Shadow!" Kale barked. "Attack the Summoned Skull! Reaping Claw Slash!"  
"Not this turn." Yugi cried. "I play, Waboku!"  
"Dang!" Kale banged the board bad temperedly. "If that attack had suceeded, I would have won!"  
"But it didn't." Yugi showed Kale his next card. "And now, I play this Ritual Card, Black Luster Ritual!"  
Kale gasped. "What?!"  
"That's right, the Black Luster Ritual card requires me to sacrafice two Monsters with level points equal to or higher than eight. So, I'll use my Curse of Dragon and Ancient Elf as tribute."  
The two Monsters disappeared. The Black Luster emblem appeared on the field. It glowed and sent forth a bright spark of light.  
"The offering has been accepted." Yugi nodded. "I bring forth this! The Black Luster Soldier!"  
A fearsome knight in black armor appeared beside the Summoned Skull, his long curved blade gripped in one hand. Kale shook his head. "You're nuts, Yuge. Wall Shadow's attack is 3000. But so it the Soldier's!"  
"Not for long." Yugi placed a card down, I play this card, Sword of Deep-Seated! It powers up any Monster by 500 points. So now he's mightier than that Shadow. Black Luster Soldier, Chaos Blade attack!"  
The knight swung his blade and struck it down on the ground. A stream of energy erupted from the blade and struck the Wall Shadow. Kale's eyes widened. This couldn't be happening. The score was now 1000 to 1100.   
  
"Oh, man!" Joey leapt to his feet. "It's like Yugi versus Mai all over again! I never thought I'd be seeing that kick butt card again! It looks even cooler the second time around!"  
Te'a, however, wasn't so focused on the Black Luster Soldier. "Look at Kale," she said. "He's got that look on his face."  
"What look?" Joey asked.  
"Watch."  
  
Kale sighed heavily. He didn't have any card that could go up against that powerful warrior. Even if he could its power back down to 3000 by De-Spelling the Sword of Deep-Seated card, it would be useless for no matter how many times it was destroyed, the Sword of Deep-Seated card would always return to the top of Yugi's deck. That was it's special effect. Kale reached over and placed a hand over his deck. His gaze lowered. "I surrender, Yugi." he shouted.  
All around, gasps ran through the crowd. Joey nodded. "I see. You meant THAT look, huh, Te'a?" 


	29. Celebrations and Meetings

"Yugi! That was a great duel!"  
The blue-clad duelist grinned as his friends continued to congragulate him on his latest triumph. "Thanks, guys."  
Kaiba, however, remained off to the side, observing everthing with a bored expression threatening to swamp his features. Mokuba tugged on his brother's sleeve eagerly. "That was a great duel, huh, Seto?"  
"I guess." Seto's eyes wandered over to where Kyara was comparing cards with Yugi and Joey.  
Mokuba followed his sibling's gaze. "Something wrong?"  
"No, I'm fine."  
Although he decided to not pester his brother further on the matter, Mokuba thought he knew what was bothering Seto. Something along the lines of jealousy. When Seto had won his first match, no one had been there to celebrate it with him. With the exception of Kyara, of course. And all of the support Yugi got from his friends before, during, and after his match, wasn't helping.  
Mokuba smiled up at the CEO of KaibaCorp. "Hey!" he cried to the rest of the group. "I've got an idea!"  
Joey turned to face him. "Well? Let's hear it."  
The little boy pointed at a nearby clock. "How about we go out to lunch to celebrate Seto, Kyara, and Yugi's victories?"  
Joey nodded eagerly and rubbed his stomach. "I'm all for it!" he declared. "Who's with me?"  
Kyara nodded and carefully stowed her dueling into her pocket. "That sounds great."  
But just as the group was about to leave, a voice halted them.  
"Hey! Yugi! Joey!"  
The two turned around. Yugi gasped as he caught sight of a tall, blond-haired duelist dressed in purple and white running towards them. "Mai?!"  
The woman winked at him as she stopped. "The one and only! What are you guys doing here?"  
"Competing, what else?" Joey answered.  
"What?!" Mai's jaw dropped open. "YOU qualified for the Intercontinental Championships?!"  
"Actually, no. I just came here with Tristan and Te'a to cheer Yuge and Kyara on."  
At the name, Mai peered over Joey's shoulder. "Kyara? You mean Kyara Nayako?"  
"Of course, who else-"  
Mai pushed Joey aside. She smiled wanly at Kyara. "Kyara!" she cried. "I haven't seen you in ages!"  
"Likewise." Kyara grinned broadly.  
"Hold on a sec," Joey said. "You two know each other?!"  
"Of course!" Mai answered. "Kyara here is one of the top female duelists! Along with yours truly. A while back, me and her took the Regionals. First and second place of course."  
"That's right!" Kyara chirruped. "The others didn't stand a chance! Even in the tag duels hosted there! We made a great team, right, Mai?"  
"Totally."  
"Wow," Joey blinked. "Kya never told us that she was that good!"  
"Hmm..." Mai shrugged. "Maybe it's because you never asked?"  
Mokuba, however, was confused about something else. "Kyara? What did you mean by tag duels?"  
"Oh that? Tag duels were an extra event that the Regionals Mai and I attended were having. A team of two duelists got to fight other pairs. The winners were named the best tag team duelists. We won, of course."  
"Tag team? Sounds like that duel Yugi and I fought against the Paradox brothers."  
"Para what?" Kyara asked.  
"Never mind." Joey said as his stomach suddenly gave an almighty rumble. "Can go get something to eat now? I'm STARVING!"  
"All right, all right!" Te'a began walking towards the exit again. C'mon, guys."  
  
* * *  
  
"So, Kyara, so you still have those Elemental Sorcerer cards?"  
Kyara nodded as she and Mai, whom had decided to come along, conversed on their way to the nearest restaurant. "Yea, I still have all of them. But tell me, are you still using that Harpie Lady combo of yours?"  
Mai smirked. "You better believe it!"  
The other giggled. "Remember when we fought that first tag battle? Our opponents said that 'girls are weak' so..."  
"Oh! I remember! So we decided to beat them with only female Monsters! Its all coming back now! I used the Harpie Lady Sisters powered up with Cyber Shield and Rose Whip, and you used your Wingweaver powered up with the Megamorph and Upstart Goblin combo and Dark Witch combined with the Malevolent Nuzzler and Black Pendant cards."  
  
A/N: The cards from Kyara's deck mentioned by Mai are all real. Wingweaver is a powerful Winged-Beast card. Megamorph is an ultra rare Equip card that has the following effect: If your LP is lower than your opponent's, the Monster equiped with this card doubles its original attack power. For example, say my LP is 1500 while my opponent's is 2000. If I used Megamorph on my Dark Magician, his attack would be raised to 5000! Imagine if someone used it on the Blue Eyes White Dragon!)  
As for Malevolent Nuzzler, it powers up any Monster by 700 attack points. However, when it is sent to the Graveyard, you can pay 500 LP to return it to the top of your deck. (Same thing with the Horn of Light card that Kale used in his duel versus Yugi.) Upstart Goblin is an unusual Magic card that allows you to draw an extra card, but raises your opponent's LP by 1000. Go figure. Lastly, the Black Pendant is a rare card that powers up any Monster by 500 points. But, when it is sent to the Graveyard, it inflicts 500 points of direct damage to your enemy's LP. All the cards described here, with the exception of Wingweaver, are found in the Magic Ruler booster. And all owned by me! Except for Black Pendant and Wingweaver. Okay, back to the story...  
  
"Now THAT was fun. Remember their faces when we kicked their butts?"  
"Definitely." Mai closed her eyes, pretending to be savoring the victory as if it had just occured yesterday.  
Seto grunted. "Sounds like you two are quite the pair."  
"Yea you could say that." Kyara leaned on Kaiba's shoulder. "I wonder if they're going to have tag duels here?"  
"I think so." Seto replied. "One on one matches alone lose their novelty after a while. I can ask one of the sponsors later to see if there will be team duels this year."  
Mai raised a curious eyebrow at Kyara's actions. She glanced at Kyara, then to Seto. "So..." she said slowy with a grin threatening to creep across her lips. "Are you two a couple or something?"  
Kaiba winced at the word 'couple'. It sounded far too elderly in his opinion. "If your asking it we're going out," he answered evenly. "Yes."  
All the while, the rest of the group had been watching intently, they were waiting for Mai's reaction. To their surprise, she burst out laughing. "Seriously? You two are dating?! Then congragulations!"  
"If you ask me, I think Mai only said that because she's afraid of what Kaiba might do to her if she said otherwise." Tristan mumbled into Joey's ear.  
"Lay off it, man." Joey answered. "Let's just focus on getting something to eat here!"  
Yugi pointed at a building about a block away. "There's the place, guys. Let's get going."  
  
"This place looks great." Joey declared as they all entered the restaurant. "I smell pepperoni pizza!"  
"Ugh," Tristan sniffed the air tenatively. "How can you still like pizza after that science project fiasco?"  
"Simple," Joey said as he sat down at a table. "The pizza only hurt my grades, not my stomach."  
"What kind of philosophy is that?!" Te'a asked as she seated herself.  
"Mine." Joey snorted.  
"Enough with the chatter." Ryo commented as a waiter approached them. "We'll take three large cheese pizza-"  
"Better make it four, man." Joey remarked. "All that walking really stimulates my appetite!"  
"Uh, okay...four large cheese pizzas and nine sodas."  
"Hold on a sec, Ryo." Tristan held up his hand. "Instead of a soda, I think I'll take an extra-large chocolate milkshake."  
"All right then."  
Joey regarded Tristan's request as a challenge. "I'll take one too! C'mon, Tristan, let's see who can eat the most pizza and drink the most milkshakes!"  
"Is that a bet? Then you're on!"  
Te'a groaned. "Something tells me this meal won't be as quiet and calm as I hoped it would be..."  
  
About twenty minutes later, their food arrived. Without even waiting for it to cool, Tristan and Joey dug in. Mai winced as the duo shoved large amounts of food into their mouths.  
"Disgusting."  
From beside Mai, Kyara tittered helplessly. "I wonder who's going to choke first!"  
Mai nodded. "Just watch, it'll be Joey. Trust me, I know."  
Wordless, Seto applied himself to a slice primly, as if trying to show what etiquette the other two should be using. In his opinion, of course, Seto believed that neither Tristan or Joey could use table etiquette, let alone spell the word.Mokuba slurped his beverage cheerfully and conversed with Mai and Kyara in between sips. "So Mai, have you had your first duel yet?"  
"Yep." she answered proudly. "I beat some guy who thought he could beat me just because I was a girl."  
"Ugh, I hate those kind of people." Kyara grimaced.  
"Eh, forget them!" Mai reached for her drink. "We'll show them once we get back to the Convention Center." 


	30. Harpies, Witches, and a Seraphim

After their meal, the party returned to the tournament. Back in the dome, Kyara headed towards the nearest registration desk.  
"Excuse me," she asked the woman seated in the chair. "But are there going to be tag duels here?"  
"Oh, you mean those team battles? Why yes."  
Kyara grinned. "Really? Is it too late to enter?"  
The woman pondered over this thoughtfully. "A bit. You see, the tag duels start in less than an hour. Registration for those ended about ten minutes ago."  
Kyara groaned. "Dang..."  
Upon seeing Kyara's crestfallen expression, the woman sighed. "Tell ya what." she said with a wink. "If you can find a dueling partner within five minutes, I'll be more than happy to register you for the duels. Okay?"  
"Really? Thanks! Oh, I already have a partner. Just a sec." Kyara turned to her friends. "Mai! Come here for a sec!"  
  
* * *  
Less than sixty minutes later, Kyara found herself standing before a pair of doors, which led to the dueling arena. Behind her, Seto and the others, having already said their farewells and good lucks, hurried off to find seats.  
"You ready, Kyara?"  
Mai's tag partner grinned as they stepped through the doors. "Always."  
"Good. Then let's not keep our opponents waiting."  
"I'm so glad that woman let us get in at the last minute. And we're in the first match! That's even better."  
"Totally."  
The pair strode over to the dueling station. Unlike the previous ones they had dueled on, this one was outfitted for four duelists to stand on rather than two. By the station, two people were already waiting. To Kyara's dismay, one of them Toshiro.  
"Well, well." the boy said slowly as the two women approached them. "If it isn't the lovely Kyara herself."  
"I didn't come here for your jeering, Toshiro." Kyara countered as evenly as she could. "I came here to duel."  
Toshiro's partner, a tall boy with shaggy black hair, intervened before Toshiro could speak again. With a smile, he held out a hand to Kyara. "The name's Ray." he greeted cheerfully. "It's an honor to meet the two top female duelists."  
Mai smirked. "Now this guy knows how to turn on the charm." she murmured to Kyara as they shook Ray's hand.  
Kyara nodded. "Tell me, Ray, how is it that you know Toshiro?" she asked.  
"Toshiro? Oh, I met him at a local competition a few months back."  
Mai rolled her eyes. "Enough with the chatter already." she declared. "Its time to duel."  
  
The four competitors climbed onto the station. A judge approached them as they shuffled their decks. "This will be a regulation Duel Monsters match." he shouted to both the duelists and the audience. "Each duelist shall have 2000 LP each. However, if just one of the pair loses all their LP, then both shall lose. Please show your bottom card so that we may decide who will go first."  
Mai nodded at Kyara. "I'll show my bottom card." reaching over, Mai lifted up her shuffled heck and revealed the last card. Harpie Lady.  
On the other side, Toshiro revealed his. Gaia Power. (A/N: Gaia Power is a Field Card.)  
The judge nodded with satisfaction. "All right then. The team of Toshiro and Zane shall go first, since Gaia Power comes first alphabetically. The turns shall proceed as follows: Toshiro, then to Kyara, then Ray, then Mai, and then back to Toshiro. Duelists ready? Then let the battle begin!"  
Toshiro drew six cards and pondered over them closely. After a few moments, he picked up two cards. "I'll place one card face down and throw Gyakutenno Megami out in defense mode. Your move...Kya."  
"That's Kyara to you." his opponent answered curtly. "For my turn, I'll lay two cards face down and throw this out in attack mode. The Dark Witch!"  
A purple-haired, winged, spear-bearing woman appeared on the field. An artificial wind jostled her smooth yellow dress from side to side. Kyara nodded with satisfaction. "That'll do it for now. I believe it's Ray's turn."  
With a nod, Ray threw a card down onto the card recognizer. "I'll just place my Prevent Rat card out in defense mode. It's defense is 2000."  
Mai's nose curled slightly in disgust at Zane's Monster. "Ugh, a blue porcupine...Oh? Is it my turn? All right then!" she slammed a card down. "Harpie Lady, in attack mode! Oh, and one face down card to finish my turn."  
With an unearthly screech, a beautiful half-human, half-bird woman emerged. Toshiro snorted, as if insulted at the Harpie Lady's mere 1200 offensive points. "That's pathetic," he commented. "But if that's what you want...I switch my Gyakutenno Megami to attack mode and attack the Harpie Lady!"  
The Megami rushed forth to strike, but was abruptly halted as a crystalline collumn shot up in front of the Harpie Lady. Mai giggled. "You fell right for my trap. The Mirror Wall! It cuts any attacking Monster's attack in half, so Gyakutenno Megami's down to 900."  
Kyara nodded. "That's right. You made a sloppy move, Toshiro, and now you're about to pay...with your life points, that is. So...I'll power up my Dark Witch with Malevolent Nuzzler! Now she's up to 2500. Dark Witch, attack!"  
The winged Witch swung her red spear in a semi-circle. With a shriek, she sliced its blade deftly across Gyakutenno Megami.   
Toshiro's LP was down to 400.  
Ray sighed. "This might be over sooner than I thought..." he said. "But that was nicely done, you two."  
Mai placed her hands akimbo and winked at Ray. "Well, I appreciate the compliment. Your move, hon."  
"All right then. Let's see, I think I'l lay another card face down and activate Dian Keto, the Cure Master to reinforce my partner's LP by 1000 points! So, he's back up to 1400."  
"A cautious play..." Mai commented as she set a card down. "I'l stengthen my Harpie with Cyber Shield. So, that totals up to 1800. Oh, and then I'll play another card face down. I won't attack this turn."  
Kyara frowned. "But Mai, if you had attacked Toshiro's LP directly, we would have won!"  
"I know, I know, but I want to draw this out a little longer. Besides, you know very well we could have won this within five minutes, right?"  
"Fine." Kyara folded her arms across her chest. "Go already, Toshiro."  
"As you wish, Kya-"  
"Stop calling me that."  
Toshiro smirked. "But I prefer Kya, Kya." he said playfully. "It makes you seem so much cuter."  
Mai groaned. "My, he's got it bad for you, hon." she said to Kyara.  
Her tag partner seemed angered by Toshiro's words. "It's not that, Mai. Toshiro likes to aggravate me, that's all."  
"If you say so."  
Toshiro drew a card. He sighed sadly when he saw it. "I'll just play this face down in defense mode." he declared. "And also I'll lay another card face down."  
Kyara bit her lip. A defense Monster. Should she attack it or not? Decisions, decisions...  
Eh, what the heck.  
"Dark Witch! Attack that defense Monster!"  
Toshiro flipped over his defense card. "Hah! You fell for m bluff! What you attacked was my Trap Master!"  
Kyara gasped. "Oh no, when the Trap master if flipped over, it gets to destroy any Trap card on the field!"  
"That's right. So, I'll have my Trap Master destroy your Mirror Wall!"  
Mai groaned. "There goes our defense..."  
Kyara bowed her head. "I'm sorry."  
"Its okay, hon. But, you better have a back up plan."  
"Don't worry, I do. But it's Ray's turn now..."  
On the other side of the station, Toshiro's companion reviewed over his hand thoughtfully. "Let's see....I think I'll just activate this magic card...Eternal Rest!"  
Mai gasped. "The Eternal Rest card...it destroys ALL Monsters powered up with equipment cards!! My Harpie Lady and your Dark Witch will be sent to the Graveyard!"  
Kyara frowned. "Not so fast!" she cried, and reached over to her one face down card. "You forgot about the card I set down earlier, Ray! It's the Mystical Space Typhoon! And, it's a Quick-Play Magic card, so it counters you Eternal Rest card!"  
Ray shrugged. "Oh well, so your Harpies and Witches are spared for this turn..."  
Mai, however, was grateful. "That was nicely done, Kyara." she said. "I don't have anything that could have countered his Eternal Rest card."  
"You're welcome!" Kyara cried. "But still, without Mirror Wall, we've lost part of our edge..."  
"Don't worry," Mai picked up a card. "Let's see those two boys deal with my next move." Mai threw them down. "Okay, boys, let's see how you like this! Go, Elegant Egotist!"  
On the field, the Harpie Lady glowed and then split into three pieces. The Harpie Sisters had arrived. Mai grinned. "Even though my Mirror Wall is gone, very few Monsters have been able to stand up against my Harpie combos."  
With a frown, Toshiro took his turn. "I'll just play this card in defense mode."  
With a sigh, Kyara drew a card. She smiled when she saw it. "All right, boys, I'll also throw one Monster face down."  
"My turn." Toshiro declared. "I'll throw this in attack mode, Neo the Magic Swordsman! And, he'll attack that face down card you have, Kya."  
Gleefully, Kyara turned over the card she had thrown down. "Magician of Faith!"  
"What?!"  
"That's right, Toshiro. The Magician of Faith's flip effect allows me to retireve one card from the graveyard. And the card I choose...Mirror Wall!"  
From beside Toshiro, Ray chuckled appreciatively. "Very nice! Once again you've outwitted us!"  
Toshiro whirled upon his partner angrily. "Hey! Whose side are you on? Mine? Or theirs?"  
At his question, Ray laughed again. "Your side, of course. I'm just critiquing as the duel progresses. Oh, and I'll just place one card face down for my turn."  
"Critiquing? You're barely putting up a fight!"  
Mai groaned. "Will you two shut it? It's my turn. And boys, I want you to meet a very special friend of the Harpie Lady." she raised a card. "Go! Harpie's Pet Dragon!"  
There was an explosion on the field. A enormous, maroon-scaled dragon appeared. Toshiro winced as the Dragon bared it's fangs at him. His Swordman wouldn't be able to withstand this next attack.  
"And that's not all." Mai said. "The Harpie's Pet Dragon gains 300 extra attack points for every Harpie Lady on the field! And would you look at that? I have three! So that means my Dragon's attack gets raised all the way up to 2900!" Mai now pointed at Neo. "Dragon, attack! Fearsome Fire Blast!"  
With an earth shattering roar, the Harpie's Pet Dragon released it's attack, which took the form a herculean blast of flames. Toshiro's LP had been dropped to a mere 200.  
"All right!" Kyara jumped up and down excitedly. "That's the way to do it, Mai!"  
"Thanks. But it's Toshiro's turn once again."  
Toshiro closed his eyes tightly and drew a single card from his deck. At about the same speed, he raised it eye level. He gasped when he saw what it was. "Go! Sanga of the Thunder!"  
"Not so fast!" Kyara cried. "Since you just summoned that Monster, I counter his arrival with this trap card, Trap Hole!"  
The mighty Sanga, only half emerged on the field, shattered to thousands of digital shards. Toshiro could only gape at the Monster Card zone his Sanga should have been standing on. "No!"  
"And now...I believe it's my turn!" Kyara threw down a Monster card. "Go! Wingweaver!"  
The field itself was now aglow with a sudden flood of golden lights. A moment later, a tall, six-winged fairy emerged. It smiled serenely at it's opponents and allies alike. Kyara sighed and pointed at Toshiro's part of the field.  
"Wingweaver, attack!" 


	31. Dragons and Princesses : Seto vs Tisha

Unbelieving, Toshiro blinked dazedly and stared at his life points as they lowered to zero. On the other side, Mai could be seen yelling gleefully.  
"All right!" she grinned and leapt down from the dueling platform.  
Kyara did the same, but dismounted slowly. The audience roared with excitement, and Kyara could just make out the sight of her friends up in the bleachers cheering along with the rest.  
With a sigh, Ray collected his cards and jumped down from his platform. He shook his head sorrowfully at Toshiro. "So much for that. But look at it this way, there's still the championship to win..."  
Mai brushed a curl of her long yellow hair out of her eyes. "That was a great duel, Kya." she said. "It certainly brought back some memories."  
Kyara nodded and carefully stowed her deck into the holder she had strapped to her belt. She urged Mai along.   
"C'mon! I think the others are waiting."  
However, upon reaching her friends and fellow duelists, Kyara found that there was one person short. She turned all around.  
"Where's Seto?" She inquired.  
Joey jabbed at thumb at the far wall. "He got a call from someone and went over there..."  
  
Kyara strode over to where Seto stood. Even before she got there, she could tell that he was slightly peeved.  
"...I'm gone one day and the clients say they want to go to Industrial Illusions instead? It can't be that bad can it? What?" Seto scowled and pressed his ear harder to his cell phone. "They know perfectly well that our next line of virtual simulators won't ready until tomorrow...send Yatori over to them and have her sort it out, got that?"  
Kyara hung back for a moment, waiting until Seto had finished his call. Finally, the brown-haired duelist shoved his cell phone back into his pocket and groaned. He then caught sight of Kyara.  
"K-Kya!" his face cleared. "I didn't see you come..."  
"Something wrong?"  
"Me?" Seto sighed. "There's some problems at KaibaCorp right now and my exectutives can't seem to handle it without me...idiots, the lot of 'em."  
Kyara giggled, but then turned serious. "You shouldn't be worrying yourself at a time like this, Seto." she murmured. "Besides, your second duel is supposed to begin in less than twenty minutes!"  
Seto nodded. "I know, I know..."  
Kyara peered into his eyes owlishly. "Then what's bothering you?"  
"Nothing, I was just thinking about what cards I should use for my first duel."  
Kyara groaned and began to guide him back to the others. "Whatever you choose, just make sure three Blue Eyes White Dragons in among them, okay?"  
  
  
Again, the crowds were growing impatient, and Kyara could hear many complaints of "C'mon! Start the duel already!" and "What's the hold up?!"  
It was Seto's second elimination round duel and he wasn't even there! His opponent, a teenager with shoulder-length brown hair, was waiting patiently by the dueling station. Kyara glanced again at the doors. Oh, where was he? She heard Mokuba talking to Yugi.  
"I don't get it...where's Seto?"  
Yugi frowned. "Maybe he's running late, you know how the crowds out there can be quite unruly."  
"Perhaps you're right...wait!" Mokuba bolted up and jabbed an excited hand at the doors. "There he is!"  
There was no mistaking the long blue jacket and confident stride. With a stoic face, Seto strode in and approached his opponent. The girl flicked at her hair absently before holding out her hand.  
"It's about time." she said with a smile. "I'm Tisha Loewen."  
"Seto Kaiba." Kaiba replied, although he didn't shake her hand.  
"Yea," Tisha cast her gaze at the surrounding people. "I could tell."  
"Excuse me?"  
"When you walked in, the crowd got even louder, it wasn't too hard to figure out who you were."  
"I see." Seto then began walking over to one side of the dueling station. "Let's get going then."  
With a nod, Tisha mounted onto the other side of the station. At once, a judge came over.  
"Opponents ready? This is a regulation Duel Monsters match. You shall duel with no Tributes, 2000 LP, and no Direct Damage. And..." the judge paused before speaking. "Now that your decks are shuffled, please reveal your bottom cards!"  
Tisha held up her deck. "Red Archery Girl." she declared.  
Seto did likewise. "Hitotsu-Me Giant."  
The judge nodded. "Right then! Tisha shall go first since Red Archery Girl's ATK is higher than the Hitotsu-Me Giant's. Now let the duel begin!"  
  
  
"This is gonna be good." Joey mumbled as he leaned forward in his seat. "Who do ya think is gonna win?"  
Mokuba scoffed. "What kind of question is that? There's no way that girl can get past Seto's Dragons!"  
  
  
Tisha smiled and fanned out her hand. "Ready, Kaiba?" she asked.  
"Bring it."  
"Right. For my first move, I'll throw this Monster face down in defense mode and then lay one card face down."  
On Tisha's side of the field, one Monster space and one Magic / Trap card zone glowed to indicate two down cards.  
Seto frowned. This girl was already playing her cards in defense. Big mistake. He picked up three cards. "Two cards face down. Then," he slammed his chosen Monster onto the board. "I send La Jinn, the Mystical Genie of the Lamp in attack mode! La Jinn, take out her defense Monster!"  
The green-colored Genie attacked. But as Tisha's face down card flipped over, it revealed for a moment a female fingure dressed in magenta robes. Kaiba gasped. "No! It couldn't be!"  
"That's right, Kaiba." Tisha said as she dropped her card into the Graveyard. "You flipped over my Princess of Tsurugi! Princess of Tsurugi's effect allows me to deduct 500 points from your LP for each Trap or Magic card you got on the field. And seeing as how you had two on the field, you lose 1000LP!"  
This wasn't good. Not even five minutes into the duel and Seto was already 1000 points behind.  
"My turn." Tisha said as she drew a card. "And I play this lovely card in attack mode. Rose Specter of Dune! Her attack power is 2000, more than enough to take out La Jinn. Rose Specter, attack!"  
Seto grimaced as his Genie was sent to the Graveyard. This was bad. The score was 2000 to 800. He needed a comeback. NOW. Still frowning, Seto drew a card. He grinned broadly when he saw it. Let's see if that Rose Specter of Dune can handle this. He thought.  
"Go! Blue Eyes White Dragon!"  
There was that distinctive roar. In a flash of metallic blue scales and slashing claws, the legendary Dragon emerged. Tisha winced. This wasn't good.  
Seto pointed at Tisha's Rose Specter of Dune. "Blue Eyes, obliterate her beast. White Lightning!"  
The Dragon's fanged jaws opened wide and let loose a sudden burst of electricity.  
Now the scores weren't that different. 1000 to 800. But Tisha was still in the lead.  
Barely.  
Seto's opponent flicked at a strand of her sleek manogany hair. The Blue Eyes White Dragon Seto had just played was not very surprising. Everyone knew he played at least two of his three Dragons per duel. But perhaps there was a way for her to get rid of this blue and white menace before he could do further damage to her LP. Well, here goes.  
Tisha set a Monster card. "One Monster in defense mode. " She declared. "And then I'll also lay a card to protect it."  
Seto glared at Tisha's two latest cards. Face down cards again? This looked strangely like her first move. But was it another trap? Another Princess of Tsurugi? Well, only one way to find out.  
"Blue Eyes! Attack her defense Monster. White Lightning!"  
Tisha shook her head and grinned. "You fell for my Trap, Seto!" she turned over her down card with glee. "Mirror Wall!"  
"What?!"  
"That's right! Now your mighty Blue Eyes's attack power has been cut down to a mere 1500. But you already declared an attack on my defense Monster which was..." Tisha flipped it over, but didn't send it to the Graveyard. "My Wall of Illusion! Her defense power is 1850, which means your weakened Dragon wasn't strong enough to destroy her."  
Seto groaned. Now his LP had been reduced to 450.  
"And that's not all, Seto." Tisha was saying. "Did you forget about Wall of Illusion's special effect?"  
"No, I didn't." Seto growled. "The Monster attacking Wall of Illusion is returned to it's owner's hand. And any damange resulting from that attack is calculated normally."  
So the Blue Eyes was no longer on the field.  
  
  
"Aw man! Seto's gettin told!" Joey cried as he watched the duel with obvious relish. "That Tisha girl is good!"  
Kyara bit her lip. Come on, Seto... She thought. You're the World Champion. Pull yourself together! I know you can beat her!  
  
  
"Now, I believe its my turn, Kaiba." Tisha said, and drew a card. "I'll just play my second Rose Specter of Dune in defense mode and end my turn. But you're almost out of LP. This duel is mine!"  
"Wrong." Seto snarled as he drew a card from his deck. "This duel is just getting started!" 


	32. Of Cosmos and Titans

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, everyone. But finally, here's chapter 32!  
  
" 'Just getting started'? We'll see about that."  
Seto frowned at Tisha as he drew placed down his next cards. "First, I summon my Blue Eyes White Dragon in defense mode! Then, I play this magic card, Blue Medicine! It increases both our LP by 500 points."  
"So now you're starting to use those healing cards. What, are you getting desperate, Seto?"  
The score was 950 to 1500.  
"Desperate is far from what I am." Seto replied curtly. "Now I'll finish it off with two MORE magic cards. First, Mystical Space Typhoon! I'll use it to destroy your Mirror Wall!"  
Tisha groaned as her crystalline barricade shattered into a thousand shards on the field. But this was a minor setback, really. She had another in her deck somewhere. But then something she noticed startled her. Why did he play the Blue Eyes in defense mode when he had a way to get around her Mirror Wall? Unless...  
Tisha's eyes opened wide. No! It couldn't be...  
Seto threw down his third card. "And now, to eliminate your Rose Specter of Dune...Curse of Fiend!"  
Curse of Fiend! That magic card switched the battle positions of all Monsters on the field! Which meant-  
"...I believe now BOTH of our Monsters are in attack mode, Tisha." Seto was saying. "Take this. Blue Eyes! White Lightning!"  
The legendary Dragon's jaws opened wide. In a matter of seconds, Tisha's Rose Specter of Dune dissappeared under a blast of pure white electricity.  
Now Seto had taken the lead. It was 950 to 500.  
Mokuba grinned broadly at his brother's latest play. "All right!" he cried jubiously. "Go Seto!"  
Kyara smiled at Mokuba as he continued to cheer on his older sibling. She then turned her attention to Seto's opponent, Tisha.  
"She still looks so confident..." Kyara thought. "I wonder why?"  
Tisha shrugged as she dropped her second Rose Specter of Dune card into the Graveyard. She had to admit, that move Seto just executed was quite clever. But let's see if she could do any better.   
"Two cards face down, Seto." Tisha announced. "And then, I'll send out my Seiaryu in defense mode."  
The holographic generators hummed and a pink dragon appeared onto the field. With a shriek, it folded its wings over its upper body and glared at the opposing Blue Eyes White Dragon. Seto Kaiba frowned. What was Tisha planning? If she hadn't played any face down cards, he would have attacked without any second thought. But she had played two face down cards. Could they be traps? If they were, he would be walking right into them by attacking...  
Well, only one way to find out.  
Seto drew a card. With a smirk, he threw it, along with a another card onto the field. " First, one card face down. Then, I'll play this card, De-Spell! And with it, I'll target one of your face down cards!"  
Tisha smirked. And flipped over the card Seto had targeted. "Well, Kaiba, you just destroyed my Equipment card, Black Pendant!"  
"What?!"  
"That's right. Black Pendant can power up one Monster by 500 points. But, it has another effect. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can inflict 500 points of direct damage to your LP!"  
Seto groaned. Now his LP was down to 450. He then straightened. Just because he lost 500 LP didn't mean it was time to throw in the towel. He still could attack!  
"First, Tisha, I shall increase my LP once again with two Dian Keto the Cure Master cards, so I'm raised to 2450. And then...Blue Eyes! Take out Seiaryu! White Lightning!"  
As Seiyaryu was destroyed, Tisha turned over her second card. "Guess what, Seto? This trap card'll avenge my Seiyaru for me. Go! Michizure!"  
Michizure?! If one of Tisha's Monsters was just sent to the graveyard, she could activate it and send one her opponent's Monsters to the grave as well! It looked like The Blue Eyes White Dragon was about to meet it's demise.  
This time, it was Seto's turn to smirk. Did she really think he would attack without some backup ready? He reached down to his second down card.  
"Hey Tisha," he said with a sneer. "You forgot about the card I played earlier in my turn! I counter your trap with this! Seven Tools of the Bandit!"  
Tisha's eyes opened wide. "No way!"  
Joey was confused. "Hey Yuge," he leaned over and whispered into his friend's ear. "What's that Seven Tools thing?"  
"Seven Tools of the Bandit is a rare and powerful counter trap, Joey." the young duelist answered. "After first paying 1000 LP, he can use it to negate and destroy the effect of a trap card!"  
Kyara, whom had been listening in on their conversation, nodded in agreement. "Seven Tools of the Bandit is ultra rare! I brought like ten packs of Metal Raiders the other day, in hopes of getting one..."  
Joey turned to face Kyara. "And did you?"  
On the dueling station, Tisha scowled at the Blue Eyes White Dragon that was on the field. She had hoped that her Michizure card would be able to increase her chances at winning this duel. So much for that. But hey, just because one of her best trap cards was gone, DIDN'T mean she was going to lose! After all, that was just ONE of her best traps.  
Now it was her turn again. And, the score was 1450 to 500. In favor of Seto.  
Tisha drew a card. She grinned when she saw it. "All right, Seto." she said. "First, I'll set my Mystical Elf in defense mode, play one magic card face down, and then..." Tisha held up an Equipment card for all the world to see. "I equip your Blue Eyes with this! Paralyzing Potion!"  
The Paralyzing Potion! A Monster equipped with that card couldn't attack! Such a manuever would cripple any mighty Monster. On the field, the Blue Eyes howled as a now greenish glow enswamped it and it became unable to strike. Tisha grinned and flicked casually at her hair. Beat THAT, Kaiba. She thought.  
With a heavy frown etched upon his stern lips, Seto drew a card. With a sigh, he set t onto the field. "Tisha, for my turn, I'll play one card face down, and end my turn."  
With a nod, Tisha drew a card. She grinned once again when she saw the card. Everything was going according to plan. "Seto," she announced. "I'll just set my second Mystical Elf in defense mode and play one card face down. You turn."  
Seto scowled. She was raising her defenses. Typical. But could her defenses just be a front for some hidden scheme? He then glanced down at the Monster card he had just drawn. This was the perfect Monster to take out one of her Elfs with.  
"First, a card face down. And then...Go! Judge Man!"  
Seto's mighty, club-bearing warrior emerged ontot the field. Kaiba pointed at Tisha's first Mystical Elf. "Take out her defense Monster, Judge Man!"  
With a grunt, the warrior leapt forth. Tisha giggled. "Sorry, Kaiba." she snickered. "I'll negate his assault with my Waboku!"  
With a grimace, Seto shrugged. "Fine. Your Elf has been spared for this turn."  
Tisha drew a card. All right! Just the card she needed. "Time for this to end, Seto." she said. "Now I play this Ritual card, Cosmo Queen's Prayer!"  
Kyara's eyes opened wide. "What did she just say? Cosmo Queen's Prayer?!"  
Joey looked confused. "What? Something wrong?"  
Kyara rolled her eyes. "Am I the only one who knows that card? Fine, just watch and find out."  
Seto, like Joey, was confused also. "Cosmo Queen's Prayer? Never heard of that Ritual card."  
"Just watch and find out." Tisha said. "In order to summon my ultimate Monster, I must first sacrafice Monsters with eight level stars or more. And guess what? Both of my Mystical Elves have four stars, which means I have a total of eight! So see ya later, Mystical Elf! And..."  
In a blinding flash of light, the two blue-skinned Spellcasters disappeared. But in the void they left, a new divinity emerged. Tisha smiled broadly. "...Say hello to my Cosmo Queen!"  
Joey and Tristan leaned forward in their seats. "Incredible!" they said in unison. "That thing's got an attack power of 2900!"  
Seto shook his head. "Your little Queen may be powerful, Tisha." he said. "But my Blue Eyes is stronger still."  
"Maybe so," Tisha replied. "But I'm not finished yet! I power her up with this Equipment card, Malevolent Nuzzler! Now Cosmo Queen gets an extra 700 points! So now that she's up to 3600...attack!"  
Tisha's Cosmo Queen lurched forth, aimed at the Blue Eyes White Dragon. A moment later, it was all over. The Blue eyes was gone.  
Tisha leapt up and down. "Yes!"  
The score was now 850 to 500.  
Seto looked at his side of the field in disbelief. One of his most powerful Monsters. Gone. He then looked towards the crowd, where Kyara and Mokuba were still cheering. He shook his head. No, he couldn't give up yet. He drew a card. And gasped when he saw what it was. Just what he needed. Time to summon one of the most powerful Monsters in all of Duel Monsters.  
"Tisha, you may have succeded in summoning that Cosmo Queen, but I have something even better."  
"Bring it on."  
"Fine." Seto threw down his card. "Go! Monster Reborn! I call my Blue Eyes back from the grave!"  
The blue-scaled dragon roared as it reappeared, wings spread wide.  
"And I'm not done yet, Tisha." Seto cried. "Go! Lord of Dragons!"  
The Lord of Dragons! If played right, this Spellcaster could be very powerful. And, if Seto possessed the super rare Magic card associated with this card...  
"Then, a Magic card, The Flute of Summoning Dragon!"  
A golden horn fashioned into the shape of a dragon appeared in the Lord of Dragon's hands. The Spellcaster raised it to his lips. The Flute gave off a low whistling tune. Kaiba nodded with satisfaction. "I can play The Flute of Summoning Dragon when Lord of Dragons is face up on the field. The Flute of Summoning Dragon allows me to special summon up to three Dragons from my hand. So, I summon TWO Blue Eyes White Dragons!"  
Tisha's eyes opened wide as now three of the mightiest Dragons in the game snarled ferociously at her. The girl breathed in slowly. She knew what was coming next.  
Kaiba smirked as he held up another card. "And finally, the Magic card, Polymerization!"  
Joey grinned broadly as Kaiba slammed his latest card down onto the field. "All right! Kaiba's bustin' out his Ultimate Dragon!"  
The three Blue Eyes White Dragons vanished from sight. There was a blinding flash of light, and both Seto and Tisha heard a sudden hush overcome the audience. All eyes were now on the beam of light that was illuminating Seto's side of the field. But within the focal point of the light, something had been born. A sharp, fierce roar pierced through the silence, and a pair of silvery-blue wings arose. Then, a gasp of awe and fear ran through the room as a three-headed dragon emerged, its curving fangs glinting brightly under the electric lighting.  
The Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon took a step, and the field itself seemed to tremble under the mighty behemoth. It then looked back at Seto, as if asking him what to do. Seto raised his arm. "Its time to end this," he said tonelessly. "Now, my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Attack the Cosmo Queen!"  
The tri-headed titan opened it's three jaws.  
"Neutron Blast!"  
To Tisha, the whole world seemed to have exploded into a shower of sparkling blue and white energy. Amidst all of this, her Comso Queen was obliterated by the unstoppable onslaught. When the chaos subsided, the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon stood alone on the field.  
Tisha's Cosmo Queen was gone, along with her lifepoints.  
The whole crowd seemed to be in a stupor. But only momentarily. The next second, a great cheer arose. On his side of the field, Kaiba heaved a short sigh. Thank god that was over with. For a moment there, he wasn't sure if he could pull it off. He then cast his gave over the crowd. He could see Kyara, cheering at the top of her lungs alongside his brother, Mokuba. Kaiba smiled.  
"Great duel." said a voice from behind him.  
Kaiba turned around to face Tisha, who had her hand extended towards him. With a nod, he shook her hand. "Yes." 


	33. A certain duelist named Seto

A/N: Hey, hey, hey! Most of your were probably surprised by this update. Thank you, Queen of Faeries1, for the 'wake up call'. You were right, it has been WAY too long. I finally got off my lazy butt, dusted off the pile of chips I call a computer, and began to write again. I apologize for such a LONG wait!!!  
  
Oh, and sorry, esteemed readers, if this chapter is a bit short. I've been out of writing too long to write a duel yet, so there's not much to read...and my writing skills are a tad rusty...  
  
As Seto left the dueling arena, he gave a short, barely detectable sigh.What a duel. What a day. But then again, what was he thinking? This day had barely started. His mouth dropped into a slight frown. But the frown quickly evaporated as a spotted a familiar figure running towards him.  
  
Kyara.  
  
"Seto!"  
  
Seto quickly pocketed his deck. He then raised both arms.With a broad smile, Kyara rushed into his embrace. "That was a fantastic duel!" she exclaimed. "The way your brought out your Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon was nothing short of spectacular!"  
  
"Glad you enjoyed it." Seto smirked and kissed Kyara's cheek lightly.  
  
"Oh, I did. But then again, I'd expect nothing less out of you, Mr. World Champion."  
  
With an arm around Kyara's shoulders, Seto began to stride back towards the main section of the Convention Center. "So," he said after a few steps. "Are the elimination rounds over yet?"  
  
"Just about." Kyara replied cheerfully. "There are about a handful of duels yet to be fought. After those, the next round of elimination can begin."  
  
"Great." Seto said with a groan. "Only a few hundred more duels to go until the finals. And then, when we-" Seto stopped and turned to face Kyara directly. "What are you giggling about?"  
  
During the time Kaiba had been talking, Kyara had been laughing quietly for some unknown reason. She now giggled helplessly as Seto looked on in confusion.   
  
"S-sorry!" she snickered. "But I suddenly remember something I wanted to tell you."  
  
"Is it something funny?"  
  
Kyara smiled broadly and fought back her giggles. "Oh yes, it was to me."  
  
"Do tell."  
  
"Okay," Kyara grinned. "You remember those reporters you yelled at before my first match?"  
  
"Yes..." Seto replied slowly, suddenly not sure whether he wanted to hear the rest of the story.  
  
"Well..." Kyara's face turned mischievious. "You know that little kiss you gave me before I went to duel?"  
  
"Yes...?"  
  
"The reporters caught it on camera. And just before I went to watch your match, some of the paparazzi caught up with me. We've been declared the hottest couple in the Duel Monsters world."  
  
Seto's face remained quite blank for a moment. He then smirked. "Well," he said. "THAT has certainly made my day quite interesting."  
  
"I know!" Kyara leaned against his shoulder as they strode down the hall. "But I guess there aren't that many couples who play Duel Monsters."  
  
"By the way, when is your second match?" Seto inquired.  
  
"Oh, me? In about two hours."  
  
"Do you know who you're dueling against?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Any plans on how to spend your next two hours?"  
  
"Well..." Kyara smiled again. "I was hoping to spend my two hours with a certain brown-haired duelist named Seto..."  
  
By the time the pair made their way out of the Convention Center, it was around late afternoon. The streets were filled with people on their way to the supermarket, the theatre, the mall, and every place in between. Kyara watched as the throngs of people passed her by.  
  
"Walking seems fun, actually." she remarked to Seto. "Especially since we have no destination."  
  
Seto took Kyara's hand and began to lead her down the sidewalk. "Then we'll search for a destination." he said with a faint smile.  
  
Their wanderings soon led them to a solitary bench situated in a quiet park not too far from the Convention Center. Kyara sighed as she and Seto seated themselves down. "This park is pretty nice." she said. "But I can't believe we passed up three manga stores and a arcade for it."  
  
Set laughed. "You mean three manga stores, an arcade, AND a music store."  
  
"Oh yea..." Kyara shrugged and reclined againt Seto's side. "I almost forgot about that."  
  
Seto frowned slightly. "You seem troubled." he said presently. "Something wrong?"  
  
"Just tired." Kyara said, and flashed him a bewitching smile. "And I almost feel like skipping the rest of the tournament. It all seems to tedious, you know?"  
  
"Yes." Seto nodded. "But some people seem to do better in such conditions. You seem to."  
  
"Perhaps. But the whole thing leaves me feeling so drained at the end of the day."  
  
Seto reached over and took Kyara's hand. "But there's always tomorrow." he said, and kissed her wrist.  
  
Kyara giggled as his lips brushed the back of her hand. "You know I love you, right Seto?"  
  
Seto returned her smile. "Likewise." 


End file.
